ABR, or an Auditory Brainstem Response Test, is a hearing test most commonly conducted in children to check if the pathways responsible for carrying auditory sensors to the brain are functioning fine. The test records if the child’s brain is exhibiting any electrical activity in response to hearing a sound.
If you have failed to complete a hearing screening test, your clinician might prescribe you to do other tests. Auditory Brainstem Response, or ABR in short, is a test to determine your auditory capability. The outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear are the three parts that make up the human ear.
ABR checks how the inner ear (cochlea) and the inner pathways to the brain are functioning. The test is mostly prescribed to children as they cannot actively complete a hearing screening test.
In the following section, you will learn more about the ABR testing and how it is done. We will also discuss if there is any risk involved in the process.
What is ABR Testing?
This is a sophisticated test to determine your hearing capability. ABR hearing tests help to find out how the auditory nerves are working to receive the sound from outside the ear. In the presence of an auditory stimulus, the brainstem response is recorded to detect hearing ability. The test is suitable for children as they don’t have to participate in it. Doctors also prescribe the test if they fear you have lost your hearing in the brain pathway.
Who Needs an ABR Hearing Test?
The test is most suitable for children who are not capable of responding to a traditional hearing test. Besides, the test is suitable for children with developmental disabilities or someone with illnesses. In a nutshell, children with developmental disabilities or who cannot respond to standard hearing tests need ABR hearing tests.
What is the Importance of Getting an ABR Test?
The test may be crucial to determine if you have reduced listening capability in your ear or if you have issues with an auditory nerve in your brain. If the test finds issues in your inner ear, your doctor might recommend a cochlear implant. In other cases, you might be prescribed hearing aids.
Besides diagnosing hearing loss, the ABR test can help diagnose neurological issues. With ABR hearing tests, nerve issues like multiple sclerosis, tumors, and strokes can be detected by observing how sound signals are traveling through the nervous system.
What is the Process to Conduct ABR?
This is a non-invasive testing process to determine your brain’s response to an auditory stimulus. The entire process can take approximately an hour or so. If you stay still during the test, the result will be accurate.
You may find the ABR hearing tests to be relaxing, and it is perfectly fine if you fall asleep during the test. However, try not to consume caffeine the day before, as it may impact your brain activity. The test follows a structural procedure. Let’s discuss the process now.
Attaching Electrodes
Electrodes will be placed in several places on your head and earlobes to record responses from the brain. Don’t worry, the electrodes are painless. Non-reactive gel or paste holds them in place. The recorded responses help to determine if you have a functional or defective brain pathway.
Playing the Auditory Stimulus
The next step is playing different types of sounds through earphones, which you will wear. You may hear a series of sounds or tones with different intensities. The audiologist may also set the number of repetitions of sounds to detect your brain response.
Response Recording
Finally, electrodes record responses from your brain. After hearing the sound, your auditory nerve and brainstem produce faint electrical responses. The electrodes record these responses, which are shown on a computer screen for further analysis.
If the test detects an anomaly in your hearing pathway, your doctor might recommend appropriate treatment.
Which Hearing Aids Suit Those Needing ABR Tests?
Patients who suffer from hearing issues have lost or are likely to lose the capability to hear external sounds. In such cases, in-the-ear or behind-the-ear hearing aids are suitable (check out Signia’s hearing aids; they have a range of state-of-the-art BTE hearing solutions). A microphone will catch external sounds and transfer them to the inside of the patient, helping him improve his hearing capability.
How to Prepare for ABR Tests?
You need to go through specific procedures to complete the test. Let’s discuss how you should prepare for a child and for an adult.
- Babies Under 6 Months
The ABR hearing tests can be done best if your baby is asleep during the process. If your baby falls asleep soon after he’s fed, then feed him just before the test starts at the testing center.
Hold off the feeding bottle from him until you reach the center. Keep him awake all the time, so that soon after you feed him, he falls asleep. Then the audiologist will conduct the test on him.
- More Than 6 Months and Under 7 Years
Children within this age range generally need anesthesia for this test. You would have to follow a specific food chart if your child is scheduled for a test the next morning.
For example, do not give your child any caffeinated drinks, or do not give any solid food 12 hours before the test.
- Children over 7 yearsof Age and Adults
Most patients in this age group can stay still while the test is being run. If children cannot stay still during the test, then the audiologist might reschedule the test. Then the test can be done under anesthesia.
Based on the result of the test, your doctor might prescribe hearing aids or other medication.
Note to Parents:
While hearing issues may be a less-than-welcome diagnosis, modern medicine has done wonders in hearing solutions. Cambodia is especially blessed; you will find not just highly advanced hearing centres, but also a great array of internationally acclaimed hearing aid providers. You will be able to take your pick from Phonak, Reston, or Signia hearing aids, depending on your requirements and budget.
Get ABR Hearing Tests Done at a Clinic Near You
ABR hearing tests offer a great opportunity for you to know if you have an issue in your ear or with auditory nerves leading to your brain. Doctors prescribe the test for children if they cannot complete any hearing test. Besides, the test works just fine in determining any issues with your hearing capability in your brain.
Hence, take the child to a reliable clinic near you to have professionals conduct the ABR hearing test.