Auditory Brainstem Response Patterns in Misophonia: A Comparative Study

Kamalakannan  Karupaiah; Prashanth  Prabhu

doi:10.18502/avr.v35i1.20576

Kamalakannan Karupaiah Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, A recognized Research Centre of University of Mysore, Mysore, India
Prashanth Prabhu Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, A recognized Research Centre of University of Mysore, Mysore, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/avr.v35i1.20576

Keywords: Misophonia; auditory brainstem response; hyperactivity

Abstract

Background and Aim: Misophonia is a condition characterized by a reduced tolerance to certain sounds or the stimuli linked to those sounds. Our study aimed to investigate the auditory brainstem functioning using electrophysiological measures in normal-hearing individuals with and without misophonia.

Methods: Thirty participants aged between 18 and 30 years were recruited. They were divided into two primary groups: fifteen individuals diagnosed with misophonia and fifteen controls. The selection of participants with misophonia was based on the diagnostic criteria by Schröder et al. and the MisoQuest questionnaire; Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) was recorded from all the individuals at lower (11.1/s) and higher stimulus rates (90.1/s).

Results: On analysing the data, individuals with misophonia showed significantly shorter absolute latencies of ABR waves III and V at 11.1/s. Also, there was no significant difference in the absolute amplitude of ABR waves at 11.1/s and 90.1/s between the individuals with and without misophonia.

Conclusion: This study indicates that the shorter absolute latencies of ABR waves III and V in individuals in misophonia could be attributed to hyperactivity at the sub-cortical pathway regions compared to the control group.