Selective filtering to spurious localization cues in the mammalian auditory brainstem

The cues used by mammals to localize sound can become corrupted when multiple sound sources are present due to the interference of sound waves. Under such circumstances these localization cues become spurious and often fluctuate rapidly (> 100 Hz). By contrast, rapid fluctuations in sound pressure level do not indicate a corrupted signal, but rather may convey important information about the sound source. It is proposed that filtering in the auditory brainstem acts to selectively attenuate signals associated with the presence of rapidly fluctuating (spurious) localization cues, but not those associated with slowly varying cues. Further it is proposed that specific inhibitory circuitry in the auditory brainstem, centered on the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL), contributes to this selective filtering. Data from extra-cellular recordings in anesthetized Mongolian gerbils are presented to support these hypotheses for a subpopulation of DNLL neurons. These results provide new insights into how the mammalian auditory system processes information about multiple sound sources. (C) 2009 Acoustical Society of America. [DOI: 10.1121/1.3238239]