Auditory Time-Intensity Cues in the Binaural Interaction Component of the Auditory Evoked Potentials
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ELSEVIER Hearing Research 89 (1995) 162-171 Auditory time-intensity cues in the binaural interaction component of the auditory evoked potentials David L. McPherson a,*, Arnold Starr b a Program inAudiology, 129 TLRB, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT84602, USA b Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, CA 9271, USA Received 28 December 1994; revised 8 June 1995; accepted 11 June 1995 Abstract Binaural interaction in the brainstem and middle latency auditory evoked potentials to intensity (dl) and timing differences (dT) between the two ears was studied in 10 normal hearing young adults. A component reflecting binaural interaction in the brainstem potentials occurred at approximately 7 ms and was of largest amplitude when d I and dT were 0. The latency of the binaural interaction component gradually shifted and its amplitude decreased as dl or dT increased and binaural interaction became undetectable when dI = 16 dB or when dT_> 1.6 ms. In the middle latency potentials binaural interaction components peaking at 20, 32, and 45 ms were defined that were also largest when dl and dT = 0. The latency of the interaction did not shift with changes in dT and dl whereas the amplitude gradually decreased but binaural interaction components were still evident even at the largest values of dl (30 dB) and dT (3 ms). Psychophysical judgments of binaural perceptions showed binaural fusion of the stimuli to persist with dT values up to 1.6 ms and that lateralization of the intracranial image was complete when either dT = 1.6 ms or when dl = 16 dB. The results suggest that the presence of a binaural interaction component of auditory brainstem potentials correlates with the fusion of binaural click stimuli and the amplitude of the binaural interaction component correlates inversely with the degree of lateralization of the intracranial image. Binaural interaction components of middle latency potentials persist and continue to change even after the binaural stimuli cannot be fused. Keywords: Binaural interaction; Evoked potential; Brainstem auditory evoked potential; Middle latency auditory evoked potential; Binaural fusion; Lateralization I. Introduction There are several studies that have examined the rela- tionship between perceptual features of binaural signals Binaural interaction (BI) in the auditory evoked poten- and the BI components. Furst et al. (1985) found that the tials may be defined as the difference between the alge- first major peak of the BI component to click stimulation braic sum of the monaural evoked potentials and the occurring at about 7.5 ms was observable only when the binaurally evoked potential. BI can be demonstrated in binaural signals were perceptually fused and localized brainstem (5-8 ms), middle (20-40 ms) and long-latency intracranially. Thus, the BI component was absent for (90-200 ms) auditory evoked potentials as a reduction in interaural timing differences greater than 1.2 ms or for the amplitude of the binaurally evoked potentials com- interaural loudness differences greater than about 30 dB, pared to the sum of the monaurally evoked potentials. BI values at which Furst and colleagues reported that their has been demonstrated in studies of both human (Hosford subjects no longer fused the images or, if fused, the images et al., 1979; Dobie and Norton, 1980; Wrege and Starr, were not localized intracranially but were completely later- 1981; Dobie, 1982; Berlin et al., 1984; McPherson et al., alized. The authors suggested that whenever the BI compo- 1989; McPherson and Starr, 1993) and animals (Wernick nent is present, the binaural stimuli are perceived as a and Starr, 1968; Dobie and Berlin, 1979, Gardi and Berlin, single fused image within the head. 1981; Ozdamar et al., 1986; Wada and Starr, 1989). Jones and Van der Poel (1990) in normal subjects showed that changes in latency of the BI component were observed for interaural timing differences out to 1.0 ms, * Corresponding author: Tel.: (801) 378-6458; Fax: (801) 378-3962; with no further latency shift noted beyond 1.0 ms. They E-mail: [email protected]. did not report a similar response for amplitude changes. 0378-5955/95/$09.50 © 1995 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved SSDI 0378-5955(95)00134-4 D.L. McPherson, A. Starr /Hearing Research 89 (1995) 162-171 163 Table 1 Lateralization (degrees from midline) of the acoustic image for intensity disparities between the two ears (n = 10) dl S 1 S 2 S 3 S 4 S 5 S 6 S 7 5 8 S 9 Slo Mean SD Yost (1981) (dB) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 0 0 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 3 4.8 NR 2 20 10 10 10 20 0 10 10 20 10 12 6.3 10 4 30 30 40 30 20 30 40 40 30 20 31 7.4 30 8 60 60 50 70 60 70 50 50 60 40 57 9.5 50 16 90 90 90 80 90 90 90 90 90 90 89 3.2 90 32 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 80 90 89 3.2 NR NR: not reported. They observed that the shift in latency of the BI compo- The purpose of the present study in normals was to nent was equal to approximately one-half the interaural examine the effect of interaural timing differences and time difference. In addition they showed that the topogra- interaural intensity differences of binaural clicks on BI in phy of the BI component and that of wave IV were similar, both early- and middle-latency auditory evoked potentials suggesting their origin to be from similar generator sites, and to relate the findings to subjects' localization of the perhaps the lateral lemniscus. The latency shift of the BI intracranial binaural image. component with changes in interaural time differences was attributed to a presynaptic delay line at the level of the superior olivary complex similar to the model of Jeffress 2. Methods and McFadden (1971). Wrege and Starr (1981) observed that when the interau- Ten normal hearing young adults with no history of ral timing differences increased from 0 to 500 /xs there neurologic or chronic ear disease were used. Each subject was a proportional shift in the latency of the BI consistent had normal pure tone hearing thresholds, normal middle with the shift in wave IV-V of the brainstem auditory ear acoustic impedance measurements and a centrally fused evoked potential. They also reported that when the delays image for the acoustic stimulus presented at 70 dBnHL for exceeded 500/~s the BI component was no longer identifi- both intensity (dI) and timing differences (dT) equal to able. zero (the null condition). Informed consent was obtained Furst et al. (1990) studied localization of binaural click from each subject and the investigation was performed in trains in patients with multiple sclerosis as a function of accordance with the principles of the Declaration of interaural time or intensity differences. The amplitude of Helsinki. the BI component correlated with both interaural loudness Auditory evoked potentials were recorded between elec- differences and interaural timing differences. In both pa- trodes positioned at Cz (positive) and a non-cephalic elec- tients who could not utilize interaural time or intensity trode positioned over Cvii. A ground electrode was placed differences for the discrimination judgments, the BI com- at Fpz. Brain potentials were amplified and filtered be- ponent was absent. Van der Poel et al. (1988) similarly tween 1 and 3000 Hz (3 dB down, 6 dB/octave) for both observed that many MS patients have abnormal thresholds the brainstem auditory evoked potentials and the middle for detecting movement of a binaurally fused intracranial latency auditory evoked potentials. Rarefaction (100 /xs) image using interaural timing differences. acoustic clicks were presented at 11.1/s at an intensity Table 2 Lateralization (degrees from midline) of the acoustic image for timing disparities between the two ears (n = 10) dT S 1 S 2 S 3 S 4 S 5 S 6 5 7 S 8 S 9 Slo Mean SD Yost (ms) (1981) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.05 10 10 0 20 10 0 0 10 10 0 7 6.7 NR 0.10 40 30 40 40 40 30 20 30 40 10 32 10.3 30 0.20 60 60 50 60 60 70 50 60 60 50 58 6.3 60 0.40 70 60 70 80 70 80 70 70 70 70 71 5.7 70 0.80 80 70 80 80 80 80 80 70 80 80 78 4.2 80 1.60 90 80 90 80 90 90 90 80 90 90 87 7.8 90 3.20 90 90 90 80 90 90 90 90 80 90 88 4.2 NR NR: not reported. 164 D.L. McPherson, A. Starr / Hearing Research 89 (1995) 162-171 100 Table 3 Equivalent dl, dT and lateralization values (mean of 10 subjects) 90 Degrees from d 1 (dB) d I (ms) 80 midline i 0 0 0 11) 70 t-- ~90m 10 2 0.05 °~ 30 4 0.10 60 50 8 0.20 ~.80 90 16 1.6 E 5O 2 ~ 4o (1) (1) ~30 lation. Both contralateral masking and insert earphones 121 were used to reduce acoustic crossover. A 10 ms sample 20 0 5 10 15L~25 3035 was obtained for the brainstem auditory evoked potentials 10 i~ dl (dB) and a 100 ms sample for the middle latency auditory evoked potentials. Two samples consisting of 2000 trials each for the brainstem auditory evoked potentials and 1000 I I I I I I I I trials each for the middle latency auditory evoked poten- 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 tials were obtained for right monaural, left monaural and dl (dB) binaural click presentation for each stimulus condition.