Auditory Brainstem Response Patterns in Misophonia: A Comparative Study
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Abstract
Background and Aim: Misophonia is a condition characterized by a reduced tolerance to certain sounds or the stimuli linked to those sounds. Our study aimed to investigate the auditory brainstem functioning using electrophysiological measures in normal-hearing individuals with and without misophonia.
Methods: Thirty participants aged between 18 and 30 years were recruited. They were divided into two primary groups: fifteen individuals diagnosed with misophonia and fifteen controls. The selection of participants with misophonia was based on the diagnostic criteria by Schröder et al. and the MisoQuest questionnaire; Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) was recorded from all the individuals at lower (11.1/s) and higher stimulus rates (90.1/s).
Results: On analysing the data, individuals with misophonia showed significantly shorter absolute latencies of ABR waves III and V at 11.1/s. Also, there was no significant difference in the absolute amplitude of ABR waves at 11.1/s and 90.1/s between the individuals with and without misophonia.
Conclusion: This study indicates that the shorter absolute latencies of ABR waves III and V in individuals in misophonia could be attributed to hyperactivity at the sub-cortical pathway regions compared to the control group.
1. Aazh H, Erfanian M, Danesh AA, Moore BCJ. Audiological and Other Factors Predicting the Presence of Misophonia Symptoms Among a Clinical Population Seeking Help for Tinnitus and/or Hyperacusis. Front Neurosci. 2022;16:900065. [DOI:10.3389/fnins.2022.900065]
2. Brout JJ, Edelstein M, Erfanian M, Mannino M, Miller LJ, Rouw R, et al. Investigating Misophonia: A Review of the Empirical Literature, Clinical Implications, and a Research Agenda. Front Neurosci. 2018;12:36. [DOI:10.3389/fnins.2018.00036]
3. Jastreboff MM, Jastreboff PJ. Decreased Sound Tolerance and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT). The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Audiology. 2002;24(2):74-84. [DOI:10.1375/audi.24.2.74.31105]
4. Swedo SE, Baguley DM, Denys D, Dixon LJ, Erfanian M, Fioretti A, et al. Consensus Definition of Misophonia: A Delphi Study. Front Neurosci. 2022;16:841816. [DOI:10.3389/fnins.2022.841816]
5. Jastreboff PJ, Jastreboff MM. Treatments for Decreased Sound Tolerance (Hyperacusis and Misophonia). Semin Hear. 2014;35(02):105-20. [DOI:10.1055/s-0034-1372527]
6. Campbell J. Letter to the Editor: Misophonia: A Need for Audiological Diagnostic Guidelines. J Am Acad Audiol. 2023;34(7-08):176-80. [DOI:10.1055/a-2125-7645]
7. Brennan CR, Lindberg RR, Kim G, Castro AA, Khan RA, Berenbaum H, et al. Misophonia and Hearing Comorbidities in a Collegiate Population. Ear Hear. 2024;45(2):390-9. [DOI:10.1097/AUD.0000000000001435]
8. Dixon LJ, Schadegg MJ, Clark HL, Sevier CJ, Witcraft SM. Prevalence, phenomenology, and impact of misophonia in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. J Psychopathol Clin Sci. 2024;133(5):403-12. [DOI:10.1037/abn0000904]
9. Aryal S, Prabhu P. Misophonia: Prevalence, impact and co-morbidity among Mysore University students in India –A survey. Neuroscience Research Notes. 2022;5(4):161. [DOI:10.31117/neuroscirn.v5i4.161]
10. Patel NM, Fameen R, Shafeek N, Prabhu P. Prevalence of Misophonia in College Going Students of India: A Preliminary Survey. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2023;75(2):374-8. [DOI:10.1007/s12070-022-03266-z]
11. Sujeeth PR, Hanji R, Nayyar K, Prabhu P. Estimation of Prevalence of Misophonia Among High School Students in India. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024;76(2):1678-81. [DOI:10.1007/s12070-023-04382-0]
12. Yadav N, Aryal S, Gupta DK, Kaushik C, Prabhu P. Prevalence of Misophonia and Its Characteristics among Amity University Students in India. Indian J Otolaryngol. 2024;30(2):90-5. [DOI:10.4103/indianjotol.indianjotol_117_23]
13. Gowda V, Prabhu P. Prevalence of Misophonia in Adolescents and Adults Across the Globe: A Systematic Review. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024;76(5):4614-22. [DOI:10.1007/s12070-024-04946-8]
14. Schröder A, van Diepen R, Mazaheri A, Petropoulos-Petalas D, Soto de Amesti V, Vulink N, et al. Diminished n1 auditory evoked potentials to oddball stimuli in misophonia patients. Front Behav Neurosci. 2014;8:123. [DOI:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00123]
15. Aryal S, Prabhu P. Understanding misophonia from an audiological perspective: a systematic review. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2023;280(4):1529-45. [DOI:10.1007/s00405-022-07774-0]
16. Ila K, Soylemez E, Yilmaz N, Ertugrul S, Turudu S, Karaboya E, et al. Assessment of temporal auditory processing in individuals with misophonia. Hearing Balance Commun. 2023;21(4):286-90. [DOI:10.1080/21695717.2023.2169373]
17. Madappally HV, Nisha KV, Prabhu P. Do Individuals with Misophonia Experience Challenges with Their Auditory Binaural Interaction and Integration Skills? Aud Vestib Res. 2025;34(1):28-36. [DOI:10.18502/avr.v34i1.17269]
18. Aryal S, Prabhu P. Auditory Efferent Pathway Functioning in Individuals with Misophonia. Aud Vestib Res. 2024;33(4):339-48. [DOI:10.18502/avr.v33i4.16652]
19. Muñoz K, Woolley MG, Velasquez D, Ortiz D, San Miguel GG, Petersen JM, et al. Audiological Characteristics of a Sample of Adults With Misophonia. Am J Audiol. 2024;33(4):1202-11. [DOI:10.1044/2024_AJA-24-00111]
20. Kim G, Lindberg R, Jain N, Husain FT. Speech in noise performance in individuals with misophonia and hyperacusis using behavioral and auditory brainstem response. J Acoust Soc Am. 2023;153:A160. [DOI:10.1121/10.0018510]
21. Aryal S, Prabhu P. Auditory brainstem functioning in individuals with misophonia. J Otol. 2023;18(3):139-45. [DOI:10.1016/j.joto.2023.05.006]
22. Aryal S, Prabhu P. Auditory cortical functioning in individuals with misophonia: an electrophysiological investigation. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2024;281(5):2259-73. [DOI:10.1007/s00405-023-08318-w]
23. Cavanna AE, Seri S. Misophonia: current perspectives. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015;11:2117-23. [DOI:10.2147/NDT.S81438]
24. Schröder A, Vulink N, Denys D. Misophonia: diagnostic criteria for a new psychiatric disorder. PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e54706. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0054706]
25. Siepsiak M, Śliwerski A, Łukasz Dragan W. Development and Psychometric Properties of MisoQuest-A New Self-Report Questionnaire for Misophonia. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(5):1797. [DOI:10.3390/ijerph17051797]
26. Jager I, de Koning P, Bost T, Denys D, Vulink N. Misophonia: Phenomenology, comorbidity and demographics in a large sample. PLoS One. 2020;15(4):e0231390. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0231390]
27. Newman CW, Jacobson GP, Spitzer JB. Development of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996;122(2):143-8. [DOI:10.1001/archotol.1996.01890140029007]
28. Khalfa S, Dubal S, Veuillet E, Perez-Diaz F, Jouvent R, Collet L. Psychometric normalization of a hyperacusis questionnaire. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 2002;64(6):436-42. [DOI:10.1159/000067570]
29. Carhart R, Jerger JF. Preferred method for clinical determination of pure-tone thresholds. J Speech Hear Disord. 1959;24(4):330-45. [DOI:10.1044/jshd.2404.330]
30. Clark JL, Roeser RJ, Mendrygal M. Middle ear measures. In: Roeser RJ, Valente M, Hosford-Dunn H, editors. Audiology diagnosis. 2nd ed. New York: Thieme; 2007. p. 380-99.
31. Kemp DT. The basics, the science, and the future potential of otoacoustic emissions. In: Robinette MS, Glattke TJ, editors. Otoacoustic emissions: clinical applications. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Thieme; 2007. p. 7-42.
32. American National Standards Institute. Maximum permissible ambient noise for audiometric test rooms (ANSI S3.1-1999). New York: American National Standards Institute; 1999.
33. Jasper H. The 10-20 electrode system of the International Federation. Electroencephalogr Clin Neuropysiol. 1958;10:370-5.
34. Hood LJ. Clinical applications of the auditory brainstem response. San Diego: Singular Pub. Group; 1998.
35. Hall JW. Handbook of auditory evoked responses. Boston: Allyn & Bacon; 1992.
2. Brout JJ, Edelstein M, Erfanian M, Mannino M, Miller LJ, Rouw R, et al. Investigating Misophonia: A Review of the Empirical Literature, Clinical Implications, and a Research Agenda. Front Neurosci. 2018;12:36. [DOI:10.3389/fnins.2018.00036]
3. Jastreboff MM, Jastreboff PJ. Decreased Sound Tolerance and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT). The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Audiology. 2002;24(2):74-84. [DOI:10.1375/audi.24.2.74.31105]
4. Swedo SE, Baguley DM, Denys D, Dixon LJ, Erfanian M, Fioretti A, et al. Consensus Definition of Misophonia: A Delphi Study. Front Neurosci. 2022;16:841816. [DOI:10.3389/fnins.2022.841816]
5. Jastreboff PJ, Jastreboff MM. Treatments for Decreased Sound Tolerance (Hyperacusis and Misophonia). Semin Hear. 2014;35(02):105-20. [DOI:10.1055/s-0034-1372527]
6. Campbell J. Letter to the Editor: Misophonia: A Need for Audiological Diagnostic Guidelines. J Am Acad Audiol. 2023;34(7-08):176-80. [DOI:10.1055/a-2125-7645]
7. Brennan CR, Lindberg RR, Kim G, Castro AA, Khan RA, Berenbaum H, et al. Misophonia and Hearing Comorbidities in a Collegiate Population. Ear Hear. 2024;45(2):390-9. [DOI:10.1097/AUD.0000000000001435]
8. Dixon LJ, Schadegg MJ, Clark HL, Sevier CJ, Witcraft SM. Prevalence, phenomenology, and impact of misophonia in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. J Psychopathol Clin Sci. 2024;133(5):403-12. [DOI:10.1037/abn0000904]
9. Aryal S, Prabhu P. Misophonia: Prevalence, impact and co-morbidity among Mysore University students in India –A survey. Neuroscience Research Notes. 2022;5(4):161. [DOI:10.31117/neuroscirn.v5i4.161]
10. Patel NM, Fameen R, Shafeek N, Prabhu P. Prevalence of Misophonia in College Going Students of India: A Preliminary Survey. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2023;75(2):374-8. [DOI:10.1007/s12070-022-03266-z]
11. Sujeeth PR, Hanji R, Nayyar K, Prabhu P. Estimation of Prevalence of Misophonia Among High School Students in India. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024;76(2):1678-81. [DOI:10.1007/s12070-023-04382-0]
12. Yadav N, Aryal S, Gupta DK, Kaushik C, Prabhu P. Prevalence of Misophonia and Its Characteristics among Amity University Students in India. Indian J Otolaryngol. 2024;30(2):90-5. [DOI:10.4103/indianjotol.indianjotol_117_23]
13. Gowda V, Prabhu P. Prevalence of Misophonia in Adolescents and Adults Across the Globe: A Systematic Review. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024;76(5):4614-22. [DOI:10.1007/s12070-024-04946-8]
14. Schröder A, van Diepen R, Mazaheri A, Petropoulos-Petalas D, Soto de Amesti V, Vulink N, et al. Diminished n1 auditory evoked potentials to oddball stimuli in misophonia patients. Front Behav Neurosci. 2014;8:123. [DOI:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00123]
15. Aryal S, Prabhu P. Understanding misophonia from an audiological perspective: a systematic review. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2023;280(4):1529-45. [DOI:10.1007/s00405-022-07774-0]
16. Ila K, Soylemez E, Yilmaz N, Ertugrul S, Turudu S, Karaboya E, et al. Assessment of temporal auditory processing in individuals with misophonia. Hearing Balance Commun. 2023;21(4):286-90. [DOI:10.1080/21695717.2023.2169373]
17. Madappally HV, Nisha KV, Prabhu P. Do Individuals with Misophonia Experience Challenges with Their Auditory Binaural Interaction and Integration Skills? Aud Vestib Res. 2025;34(1):28-36. [DOI:10.18502/avr.v34i1.17269]
18. Aryal S, Prabhu P. Auditory Efferent Pathway Functioning in Individuals with Misophonia. Aud Vestib Res. 2024;33(4):339-48. [DOI:10.18502/avr.v33i4.16652]
19. Muñoz K, Woolley MG, Velasquez D, Ortiz D, San Miguel GG, Petersen JM, et al. Audiological Characteristics of a Sample of Adults With Misophonia. Am J Audiol. 2024;33(4):1202-11. [DOI:10.1044/2024_AJA-24-00111]
20. Kim G, Lindberg R, Jain N, Husain FT. Speech in noise performance in individuals with misophonia and hyperacusis using behavioral and auditory brainstem response. J Acoust Soc Am. 2023;153:A160. [DOI:10.1121/10.0018510]
21. Aryal S, Prabhu P. Auditory brainstem functioning in individuals with misophonia. J Otol. 2023;18(3):139-45. [DOI:10.1016/j.joto.2023.05.006]
22. Aryal S, Prabhu P. Auditory cortical functioning in individuals with misophonia: an electrophysiological investigation. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2024;281(5):2259-73. [DOI:10.1007/s00405-023-08318-w]
23. Cavanna AE, Seri S. Misophonia: current perspectives. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015;11:2117-23. [DOI:10.2147/NDT.S81438]
24. Schröder A, Vulink N, Denys D. Misophonia: diagnostic criteria for a new psychiatric disorder. PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e54706. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0054706]
25. Siepsiak M, Śliwerski A, Łukasz Dragan W. Development and Psychometric Properties of MisoQuest-A New Self-Report Questionnaire for Misophonia. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(5):1797. [DOI:10.3390/ijerph17051797]
26. Jager I, de Koning P, Bost T, Denys D, Vulink N. Misophonia: Phenomenology, comorbidity and demographics in a large sample. PLoS One. 2020;15(4):e0231390. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0231390]
27. Newman CW, Jacobson GP, Spitzer JB. Development of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996;122(2):143-8. [DOI:10.1001/archotol.1996.01890140029007]
28. Khalfa S, Dubal S, Veuillet E, Perez-Diaz F, Jouvent R, Collet L. Psychometric normalization of a hyperacusis questionnaire. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 2002;64(6):436-42. [DOI:10.1159/000067570]
29. Carhart R, Jerger JF. Preferred method for clinical determination of pure-tone thresholds. J Speech Hear Disord. 1959;24(4):330-45. [DOI:10.1044/jshd.2404.330]
30. Clark JL, Roeser RJ, Mendrygal M. Middle ear measures. In: Roeser RJ, Valente M, Hosford-Dunn H, editors. Audiology diagnosis. 2nd ed. New York: Thieme; 2007. p. 380-99.
31. Kemp DT. The basics, the science, and the future potential of otoacoustic emissions. In: Robinette MS, Glattke TJ, editors. Otoacoustic emissions: clinical applications. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Thieme; 2007. p. 7-42.
32. American National Standards Institute. Maximum permissible ambient noise for audiometric test rooms (ANSI S3.1-1999). New York: American National Standards Institute; 1999.
33. Jasper H. The 10-20 electrode system of the International Federation. Electroencephalogr Clin Neuropysiol. 1958;10:370-5.
34. Hood LJ. Clinical applications of the auditory brainstem response. San Diego: Singular Pub. Group; 1998.
35. Hall JW. Handbook of auditory evoked responses. Boston: Allyn & Bacon; 1992.
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How to Cite
1.
Karupaiah K, Prabhu P. Auditory Brainstem Response Patterns in Misophonia: A Comparative Study. Aud Vestib Res. 2025;.
