The present study was conducted to evaluate the variations in the normal auditory brainstem response (ABR) between the F344 and Wistar rats. It was also investigated whether strain differences exist in the ABR profiles of each strain of rat given furosemide, which induced ototoxicity. The typical waveform of ABRs in the F344 rats were similar to those observed in the Wistar rats. There were no significant differences between the strains in almost all parameters, but peak latencies from P1 to P3 in the F344 rats tended to be longer than those in the Wistar rats. After a single intravenous injection of furosemide, the minimum effective dosage levels, at which each peak of the ABR disappeared, were 53.3 +/- 8.2 and 70.0 +/- 8.9 mg/kg in the F344 and Wistar rats, respectively. A single intravenous injection of 100 mg/kg furosemide delayed the reversal of decrease in amplitude, prolongation of peak latency and the reappearance time in F344 rats. Thus, the normal waveform of ABR was comparable in the F344 and Wistar rats, but a tendency towards a prolongation in each latency was noted in the F344 rat. The results also suggested that the ABR of F344 rats were more vulnerable to furosemide ototoxicity than that of Wistar rats.