Design and development of a novel approach to assess the gap perception based auditory temporal resolution with the aid of electroencephalogram in human beings

Electroencephalogram (EEG) provides an objective analysis of almost every function of the human brain and hence can be used as an effective tool to assess such functions and human audition is no exception. Auditory Temporal Resolution (ATR), defined as the ability of the human brain to perceive the sound and differentiate between various categories of sounds, can assess conditions such as Dyslexia and Dysgraphia where ATR is less compared to that of the normal subjects. Auditory perception with respect to pause, also known as Gap Detection Threshold (GDT) is the best way to assess the ATR and is hence the primary factor to be found during auditory assessments. But such auditory factors are always subjective and are based on the response of the subject, which may pose an issue in case on non-cooperative subjects. Hence the present work introduces a novel objective paradigm where EEG is used as an alternate tool to assess the ability of auditory perception and hence provides a better approach to detect the ATR In the present setup, 44 subjects of no known pathology, both males and females were subjected to this test and their EEG was recorded while providing a sound complex with a Gap embedded in it. The Beta waves of the EEG were found to vary when sound was perceived and when Gap was perceived by the subjects, hinting that Beta waves can be a very good tool for an objective auditory analysis. Such a novel approach can be used to provide an objective approach thereby eliminating involvement of subject response and hence help the doctors to assess the temporal resolution of human beings, which can further be investigated for various behavioral disorders.