Reflection of the release from masking effect in unit activity of the cat inferior colliculus

Abstract

The effect of release from masking in unit activity of the inferior colliculus was studied in anesthetized cats. When series of cophasic and antiphasic clicks with varied interaural delay were used as stimuli, sensitivity to changes in the interaural phase shift within a narrow band of the spectrum of the signal close to the characteristic frequency was discovered in neurons with low characteristic frequencies (up to 2.6 kHz). The masking effect with cophasic and antiphasic noise was found to depend on the phase sensitivity of the neurons. The neurophysiological mechanisms of the release from masking effect are discussed.