Sensitivity for interaural time and intensity difference of auditory midbrain neurons in the grassfrog

The sensitivity for interaural time (ITD) and intensity (IID) difference was investigated for single units in the auditory midbrain of the grassfrog. A temporally structured stimulus was used which was presented by means of a closed sound system. At best frequency (BF) the majority of units was selective for ITD as indicated by an asymmetrically (73%) or symmetrically (7%) shaped ITD-rate histogram. About 20% appeared to be nonselective. Units with a symmetrical rate histogram had BFs well above 0.9 kHz, whereas for the other categories no relationship with BF was observed. Most units had a selectivity for ITD which was rather independent from frequency and absolute intensity level. In 62% of the units interaural time difference could be traded by interaural intensity difference. In most cases this so-called time-intensity trading could be explained by the intensity-latency characteristics of auditory nerve fibres. About 20% was sensitive to IID only and 5% to ITD only. A binaural model is proposed which is based on the intensity-rate and intensity-latency characteristics of auditory nerve fibres, the linear summation of excitatory and inhibitory post synaptic potentials in second order neurons, and spatiotemporal integration at the level of third order neurons. By variation of only a small number of parameters, namely strengths and time constants of the connectivities, the range of experimentally observed response patterns could be reproduced.