The auditory cross‐section (AXS) test battery: A new way to study afferent/efferent relations linking body periphery (ear, voice, heart) with brainstem and cortex Free

Several noninvasive methods are available for studying the neural bases of human sensory‐motor function, but their cost is prohibitive for many researchers and clinicians. The auditory cross section (AXS) test battery utilizes relatively inexpensive methods, yet yields data that are at least equivalent, if not superior in some applications, to those generated by more expensive technologies. The acronym emphasizes access to axes—the battery makes it possible to assess dynamic physiological relations along all three body‐brain axes: rostro‐caudal (afferent/efferent), dorso‐ventral, and right‐left, on an individually‐specific basis, extending from cortex to the periphery. For auditory studies, a three‐level physiological ear‐to‐cortex profile is generated, utilizing (1) quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG); (2) the repeated evoked potentials version of the auditory brainstem response (REPs/ABR); and (3) otoacoustic emissions (OAEs). Battery procedures will be explained, and sample data presented illustrating correlated multilevel changes in ear, voice, heart, brainstem, and cortex in response to circadian rhythms, and challenges with substances such as antihistamines and Ritalin. Potential applications for the battery include studies of central auditory processing, reading problems, hyperactivity, neural bases of voice and speech motor control, neurocardiology, individually‐specific responses to medications, and the physiological bases of tinnitus, hyperacusis, and related treatments.