The Relationship between P300 and Central Auditory Processing Test Result.

Background:  Central auditory processing (CAP) refers to the perceptual processing of auditory inputs in the central nervous system and includes a series of auditory skills such as sound localization, auditory pattern recognition, and temporal sequencing which is a component of temporal processing. This skill can be assessed by frequency pattern test (FPT) and duration pattern test (DPT). Auditory attention is another skill that contributes to the CAP and can be analyzed by the P300.

Purpose:  This study assesses the relationship between the P300 latency and the CAP test results of individuals with normal hearing.

Research design:  An experimental study was used in which the determined tests were applied to the participants.

Study sample:  Thirty-four individuals with normal hearing between the ages of 20 and 40 years were included in the study.

Data collection and analysis:  P300, FPT, and DPT were applied to the participants. The Spearman correlation test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for analysis.

Results:  There were significant moderate and strong-level negative correlations between P300 latency and the scores obtained from frequency pattern and DPT (p < 0.01). We also analyzed whether P300 latency and frequency pattern and DPT scores differed according to gender and, as a result, did not find significant relationship (p > 0.05).

Conclusion:  We observed that frequency pattern and DPT scores decreased as P300 latency increased. We propose that these results could contribute to the diagnosis and follow-up process of CAP disorder by allowing P300 and CAP tests to be cross-checked.