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Binaural Hearing by the Mammalian Auditory Brainstem: Joint Coding of Interaural Level and Time Differences by the Lateral Superior Olive

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Binaural Hearing

Part of the book series: Springer Handbook of Auditory Research ((SHAR,volume 73))

Abstract

Two of the cues to sound source location in azimuth are the interaural difference in level (ILD) and time (ITD). ILDs result from the frequency- and direction-dependent modifications of sound by the head and pinnae and are defined as the difference in sound pressure level of sounds at the two ears. ITDs result because the ears are physically separated in space by the head, resulting in direction-dependent differences in acoustic path lengths to the ears. Although it has been known for decades that neurons comprising the lateral (LSO) and medial (MSO) superior olives in the brainstem are the most peripheral in the mammalian ascending auditory pathway to encode ILDs and ITDs, respectively, LSO neurons have recently been demonstrated to also be sensitive to ITDs. Here the mechanisms by which MSO neurons are sensitive to ITDs and LSO neurons can be jointly sensitive to ILD and ITD are reviewed. The physical bases of the ILD and ITD cues themselves are reviewed first. Next, the anatomical, physiological, and biophysical specializations of the circuitry that enable joint encoding of ILDs and ITDs by LSO neurons are examined. Specializations in the input neurons to the LSO permit both the spectral and temporal attributes of the sound arriving at the two ears to be represented accurately, and specializations in LSO neurons themselves allow not only ILDs but also ITDs to be encoded. Comparative studies in mammals that have examined the functional role of the LSO through combined anatomical, physiological, and behavioral observations confirm that the LSO is necessary for sound source localization based on ILDs and also particular kinds of ITDs.

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Acknowledgments

The work during the preparation of this chapter was supported by Grants R01-DC-011555 and R01-DC-017924 from the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), National Institutes of Health. We thank John Peacock and Monica Benson for comments.

Compliance with Ethics Requirements

Zoe L. Owrutsky declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Victor Benichoux declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Daniel J. Tollin declares that he has no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

    Zoe L. Owrutsky & Daniel J. Tollin

  2. Unit of Genetics and Physiology of Hearing, Department of Neuroscience, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France

    Victor Benichoux

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  1. Zoe L. Owrutsky
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  2. Victor Benichoux
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  3. Daniel J. Tollin
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Correspondence to Zoe L. Owrutsky .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Ruth Y. Litovsky

  2. Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Matthew J. Goupell

  3. Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Richard R. Fay

  4. Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Arthur N. Popper

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Owrutsky, Z.L., Benichoux, V., Tollin, D.J. (2021). Binaural Hearing by the Mammalian Auditory Brainstem: Joint Coding of Interaural Level and Time Differences by the Lateral Superior Olive. In: Litovsky, R.Y., Goupell, M.J., Fay, R.R., Popper, A.N. (eds) Binaural Hearing. Springer Handbook of Auditory Research, vol 73. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57100-9_5

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