Janky and Shepard (2009) evaluated whether significant changes in vestibular-evoked myogenic responses (VEMPs) occur in tandem with aging across a multitude of stimuli.
Forty-six people with normal hearing and a negative history for balance disorders and neurological signs and symptoms were assigned into five groups. They were evaluated using multiple stimuli at 13.3 presentations per second, for a total of 200 responses. Specific stimuli included rarefaction broadband clicks and two-cycle rise/fall with no plateau (tonebursts) at 250, 500, 750, and 1,000 Hz. SCM contraction was measured during head-turn in-tandem with acoustic stimulation. VEMP threshold, amplitude, and P13 and N23 latencies were recorded.
Group One, subjects 20-29 years of age, 10 subjects.
Group Two,subjects 30-39 years of age, eight subjects.
Group Three, subjects 40-49 years of age, 10 subjects.
Group Four, subjects 50-59 years of age, eight subjects.
Group Five, subjects 60+ years of age, 10 subjects.
Among their results, they reported: There were no statistically significant differences found between left and right ears. No age effect was found for VEMP amplitude at any of the test frequencies. Overall, VEMP thresholds increase with age. The highest response rates occurred in the younger groups in response to 500, 750, and 1,000 Hz tonebursts. VEMPs in response to clicks were present bilaterally in only seven of the subjects. VEMPs in response to 250 Hz tonebursts were present bilaterally in 29 subjects. Bilateral VEMP responses were recorded using 500, 750, and 1,000 Hz tonebursts in 43, 43, and 41 subjects (respectively). Therefore, 500 Hz tonebursts produced bilateral VEMPs in these subjects 94 percent of the time, 750 Hz tonebursts produced bilateral VEMPs 94 percent of the time, and 1,000 Hz tonebursts produced bilateral VEMPs 89 percent of the time.
For More Information, References, and Recommendations:
Janky KL, Shepard N. (2009) Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential Testing: Normative Threshold Response Curves and Effects of Age. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology (20)8:514-522.