Auditory neuropathy: a brief review

The audiometric, electrophysiologic, and speech perception findings in patients affected by auditory neuropathy are reviewed. The causes and pathologies proposed to account for auditory neuropathy are discussed, as well as the prevalence and incidence of this condition. Advances during the past year include the demonstration that amplification can benefit some children with auditory neuropathy, as can cochlear implants. Innovative psychoacoustic (listening) tests have been performed in a small group of patients with auditory neuropathy, and the results suggest technologies of speech processing that may alleviate the speech perception disability that patients with auditory neuropathy experience.