Comparison of Auditory Middle-Latency Responses From Two Deconvolution Methods at 40 Hz

Goal: Auditory middle-latency responses (MLRs) are reported to be particularly susceptible to stimulation rate. Deconvolution methods are necessary to unwrap the overlapping responses at a high rate under the linear superposition assumption. This study aims to investigate and compare the MLR characteristics at high and conventional stimulation rates. Methods: The characteristics were examined in healthy adults by using two closely related deconvolution paradigms, namely continuous-loop averaging deconvolution and multirate steady-state averaging deconvolution at a mean rate of 40 Hz, and a conventional low rate of 5 Hz. Results: The morphology and stability of the MLRs can benefit from a high-rate stimulation. It appears that stimulation sequencing strategies of deconvolution methods exerted divergent rate effects on MLR characteristics, which might be associated with different adaptation mechanisms. Conclusion: MLRs obtained by two deconvolution methods and the conventional reference feature differently from one another. Significance: These findings have critical implications in our current understanding of the rate effects on MLR characteristics which may inspire further studies to explore the characteristics of evoked responses at high rates and deconvolution paradigms.