Which statement is true about ABR testing?

• A. It tests the tympanic membrane mobility
• B. Electrodes are placed on the head to record brain wave activity in response to sounds; the patient rests quietly or sleeps; no verbal responses are required
• C. It measures air conduction thresholds
• D. It uses otoacoustic emissions to screen newborns

Answer: (B)

ABR testing is an objective way to assess the neural portion of the auditory pathway, from the eighth nerve up through the brainstem. Tiny electrical responses generated by the auditory system when a sound is heard are picked up by surface electrodes placed on the scalp and forehead. Because these responses are automatic, the patient can rest quietly or sleep, and no active responses or verbal participation are needed. This makes ABR especially useful for infants or people who can’t behave in a typical hearing test.

The statement described matches this approach: recording brainwave activity in response to sounds with scalp electrodes, while the patient rests and doesn’t need to speak or move. It’s not about testing tympanic membrane mobility (that’s tympanometry), nor does ABR provide a direct measure of air conduction thresholds like behavioral or other pure-tone tests, and it isn’t the same as otoacoustic emissions screening, which measures cochlear (outer hair cell) function.