Age-Related Changes in Speech Recognition Performance-Intensity Functions and Auditory Brainstem Responses

Results of this study show that aging negatively impacted speech recognition in noise and ABR responses. Although the age-related reduction in ABR wave I/V ratios could be interpreted as evidence of cochlear synaptopathy, age did not differentially impact speech recognition in noise as a function of SNR. In addition, there was no association between the electrophysiological and performance-intensity function metrics. These results add to a growing list of perceptual measures that did not follow the pattern of results predicted by age-related cochlear synaptopathy, despite the expected reduction in ABR wave I/V ratios.