Cortical auditory evoked potentials as biomarkers of central auditory system maturation in children with normal and impaired hearing: scoping review

INTRODUCTION: The central auditory system and its maturational aspects have been a topic of interest on the raise in recent times. Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEP) might be a promising electrophysiological tool, applicable both in the diagnosis of central auditory processing disorders and other conditions, as well as in clinical evaluation of amplification and cochlear implantation effectiveness in children. THE OBJECTIVE: Of this study was to perform a scoping review on CAEP as biomarkers of cortical maturation in children and infants with normal and impaired hearing. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A keyword search was performed across the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Elibrary.ru databases. RESULTS: 86 sources were included in the review according to the criteria. In children with normal hearing, the latency of CAEP components decreases with age. An increase in latency and a change in the morphology of CAEP are observed in cases of hearing impairment, prematurity, speech, and certain neurological disorders. CONCLUSION: CAEP might serve as a reliable biomarker for assessing the maturation of the central auditory system in both children with normal hearing and those with hearing impairment.