brainstem auditory evoked potential

potential

 [po-ten´shal]

existing and ready for action, but not active.

electric tension or pressure.

action potential see action potential.

after-potential the period following termination of the spike potential.

auditory evoked potential in electroencephalography, changes in waves in response to sound; see also brainstem auditory evoked potential.

brainstem auditory evoked potential that portion of the auditory evoked potential that comes from the brainstem; abnormalities can be analyzed to evaluate comas, to support diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, and to detect early posterior fossa tumors.

cognitive event--related p's a diagnostic study that uses electroencephalographic equipment and a computer dedicated to analyze brain wave P300; this wave is a measure of the brain's active cognitive processing of information. The patient is instructed to complete a task that requires attention and information processing. A recording of brain wave activity as well as information related to cognitive function is produced.

diastolic potential the transmembrane potential of the cell during electrical diastole.

maximal diastolic potential the most negative level attained during the cardiac cycle by the cell membrane of a fiber that does not have a constant resting potential, occurring at the end of phase 3 of the action potential. In pacemaker cells this is a point of hyperpolarization.

membrane potential the electric potential that exists on the two sides of a membrane or across the wall of a cell.

resting potential (resting membrane potential) the difference in potential across the membrane of a cell when it is at rest, i.e., fully repolarized. In cardiac physiology this occurs during electrical diastole in pacemaker cells and continuously in nonpacemaker cells.

spike potential the initial, very large change in potential of the membrane of an excitable cell during excitation.

threshold potential the transmembrane potential that must be achieved before a membrane channel can open; it differs among the various cardiac membrane channels.

potential (omaha) in the omaha system, a problem modifier on the third level of the problem classification scheme, defined as the presence of health patterns, behaviors, or risk factors that may preclude optimal health even though specific signs and symptoms are absent.

Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

au·di·to·ry brain·stem re·sponse (ABR),

an electrophysiologic measure of auditory function using computer-averaged responses produced by the auditory nerve and the central auditory pathways principally in the brainstem to repetitive acoustic stimuli. ABR is also used to locate brainstem lesions and determine whether a hearing impairment is sensory or neural.

Synonym(s): brainstem auditory evoked potential, brainstem evoked response

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

auditory brainstem response audiometry

A neurologic test of brainstem function in response to 70–90 dB auditory (click) stimuli transmitted by an acoustic transducer to headphones. The evoked waveform response is measured by surface electrodes placed at the vertex of the scalp and ear lobes. The signal amplitude is averaged and charted against the time, not unlike an EEG, with the waveform peaks being labelled I–VII.

Applications
Identification of retrocochlear pathology (e.g., acoustic neuroma or vestibular schwannoma), identification of coma patients at increased risk of dying, screening hearing in newborns.

Method
Electrodes are attached to the head to record electrical activity from the auditory and other regions of the brain.

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

brain·stem au·di·tor·y e·voked po·ten·tial

(brān'stem aw'di-tōr-ē ē-vōkt' pŏ-ten'shăl)

Responses triggered by click stimuli, which are generated in the acoustic nerve and brainstem auditory pathways; recorded over the scalp.

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012