Assessing subclinical hearing loss in musicians and nonmusicians using auditory brainstem responses and speech perception measures.

In this study, the physiological and perceptual correlates of auditory function in student musicians and nonmusicians with normal hearing thresholds were investigated. The measures involved were auditory brainstem responses as a function of stimulation rate, spatial release from masking, and word intensity rollover functions. The results indicated that as the stimulation rate was increased, the wave I amplitude reductions were more abrupt in musicians than in nonmusicians. However, no significant group differences were observed for speech tasks. There were also no significant correlations between the results of speech perception and the measures of peripheral neural function.