Automated ABR and MMN extraction using a customized headband for hearing screening

• Published in: Biomedical signal processing and control Vol. 94; p. 106264
• Main Authors: Joshi, Rathin K., K. S., Manu, R. S., Hari, A, Ajay Krishnan, Jayachandra, M., Dandinarasaiah, Manjunath, Pandya, Hardik J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Auditory brainstem response (ABR); Biopotentials; Brain computer interface; Electroencephalography; Event-related potentials (ERPs); Mismatch negativity (MMN); Electroencephalography; Brain computer interface; Auditory brainstem response (ABR); Event-related potentials (ERPs); Mismatch negativity (MMN); Biopotentials
• ISSN: 1746-8094
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bspc.2024.106264

•An adaptive filtering-based approach for ABR and MMN extraction.•Stimuli generation, EEG/ERP acquisition, and wearable system design are explained.•Results validated for n = 5 subjects with a clinically used acquisition system.•Additional checks confirmed that responses are evoked due to auditory stimuli.•Statistical analysis showed a clear contrast between with and without stimuli ERPs. Stimuli-elicited EEG responses, known as Event-Related Potentials (ERPs), reflect the health status of underlying electrophysiological processes and are frequently used for scanning sensory pathways. Current ERP extraction systems are expensive, complex, and bulky. This study aims to overcome these limitations by developing and validating a bimodal auditory ERP extractor headband. An affordable, portable bimodal auditory ERP extractor was developed and validated for ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) and MMN (Mismatch Negativity) response interpretation. Auditory stimuli were created using Presentation software. Adaptive filtering-based extraction was performed in EEGLAB (MATLAB) to derive the neural inferences. Extracted responses from n = 5 young adults were validated against CE-certified acquisition systems used in clinical practice. Validation results showed the grand average responses of ABR and MMN for n = 5 subjects matched. Furthermore, with and without stimuli ERP analysis showed significant differences for identified features (p = 0.00794 for ABR wave-V amplitudes, p = 1.22 * 10−5, and p = 2.62 * 10−5 for MMN peak latencies and area under the curves), ensuring that the response was due to the presented auditory stimuli. The results confirm the competency of the developed system to obtain MMN and ABR from young adults. A clear contrast between latency-amplitude scatter plots further ensures the competency of a developed system to acquire ABR and MMN. The novelty of the study is an easy-to-operate, affordable ERP extractor with adaptive filtering, wearable design, and configurable stimuli. This system can be a potential solution for large-scale hearing screening, providing detailed neural insights, including averaged responses and inter-trial variabilities.