Binaural interaction in the human frequency-following response: effects of interaural intensity difference.

The binaural interaction component (BIC) of the 500-Hz human frequency-following response (FFR) was evaluated as a function of interaural intensity difference (IID) using a lateralization paradigm. The robust FFR interaction component (FFR-BIC) was shown to decrease systematically with increasing IID with no discernible FFR-BIC for IID values larger than about 20 dB. These findings are similar to that observed for the high-frequency auditory brainstem response interaction component (ABR-BIC). Thus, like the ABR-BIC, the FFR-BIC may be correlated with binaural fusion and the perceived location of the fused image of the sound. These results taken together suggest that the binaural neurons in the brainstem are able to utilize IID cues presented in both low-frequency and high-frequency sounds.