Abstract
Recordings from the intracranial part of the auditory nerve in patients undergoing operations for cranial nerve disorders show that the compound action potential of the nerve in response to tonebursts has a latency that matches the N2P2N3 [negative peak 2-positive peak 2-negative peak 3] complex of potentials recorded from the scalp using mastoid-vertex electrodes. Apparently, the audiotory nerve gives rise to 2 of the peaks in scalp-recorded potentials and not, as was earlier assumed, to only the 1st peak in the scalp-recorded ABR [auditory brainstem responses]. Recordings from 2 location on the nerve show identical waveshapes of the compound action potential and a difference in latency that can be accounted for by the conduction time of nerve.