Large group differences in binaural sensitivity are represented in preattentive responses from auditory cortex.

Abstract

Correlated sounds presented to two ears are perceived as compact and centrally lateralized, whereas decorrelation between ears leads to intracranial image widening. Though most listeners have fine resolution for perceptual changes in interaural correlation (IAC), some investigators have reported large variability in IAC thresholds, and some normal-hearing listeners even exhibit seemingly debilitating IAC thresholds. It is unknown whether or not this variability across individuals and outlier manifestations are a product of task difficulty, poor training, or a neural deficit in the binaural auditory system. The purpose of this study was first to identify listeners with normal and abnormal IAC resolution, second to evaluate the neural responses elicited by IAC changes, and third to use a well-established model of binaural processing to determine a potential explanation for observed individual variability. Nineteen subjects were enrolled in the study, eight of whom were identified as poor performers in the IAC-threshold task. Global scalp responses (N1 and P2 amplitudes of an auditory change complex) in the individuals with poor IAC behavioral thresholds were significantly smaller than for listeners with better IAC resolution. Source-localized evoked responses confirmed this group effect in multiple subdivisions of the auditory cortex, including Heschl's gyrus, planum temporale, and the temporal sulcus. In combination with binaural modeling results, this study provides objective electrophysiological evidence of a binaural processing deficit linked to internal noise, that corresponds to very poor IAC thresholds in listeners that otherwise have normal audiometric profiles and lack spatial hearing complaints.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Group differences in the perception of interaural correlation (IAC) were observed in human adults with normal audiometric sensitivity. These differences were reflected in cortical-evoked activity measured via electroencephalography (EEG). For some participants, weak representation of the binaural cue at the cortical level in preattentive N1-P2 cortical responses may be indicative of a potential processing deficit. Such a deficit may be related to a poorly understood condition known as hidden hearing loss.