A three-channel model of human binaural sound localization

Abstract

The most accepted model of mammalian binaural sound localization postulates two neural/perceptual channels with hemifield tuning and overlapping medial borders; the extent to which the two channels are co-activated by the source is the neural "code" for the source's azimuthal location. This model does not take into account physiological data on the existence of a population of cells with spatial receptive fields centered on the azimuthal midline. The following work sought to test the hypothesis that the mammalian binaural sound localization apparatus includes a third, midline-tuned channel. Ten experiments used a selective adaptation paradigm in human listeners to probe for the existence of a midline channel. Psychometric functions were obtained for lateral position based on ITD or ILD both before and after adaptation with high-frequency (2800 and 4200 Hz) or low-frequency (260 and 570 Hz) tones. Listeners experienced highly lateralized adaptor stimuli with different frequencies at each ear (asymmetrical adaptation), highly lateralized adaptor stimuli of the same frequency at each ear (symmetrical adaptation), and single frequency adaptation at the midline (central adaptation). At both high and low frequencies in the domains of both interaural time difference (ITD) and interaural level difference (ILD), location judgements after asymmetrical adaptation shifted away from the fatigued side. These shifts occurred across each adapted hemifield and extended slightly over the midline, as is consistent with the two-channel model. The two-channel model would predict no effect of symmetrical or central adaptation because fatiguing both lateral channels equally would not change their relative activation by a given source. In practice, the result of symmetrical adaptation was a shift in location judgements towards the midline as would be expected if adaptation of the lateral channels resulted in a greater relative contribution of a third, midline channel. Likewise, central adaptation tended to result in shifts in perceived location towards the sides. The evidence for the midline channel was strong for high and low frequencies localized by ILD, and was present for low frequencies, but not for high frequencies, localized by ITD.