Comparison of binaural release from forward masking in animals and humans. Electrophysiological studies.

Evoked potentials in the inferior colliculus and auditory areas of the cortex were studied in anesthetized guinea pigs and long-latency auditory evoked potentials (LAEP) were studied in waking humans using sequential binaural presentation of pairs of clicks--the masker and the masked signal--with a variable interval between them, to provide the conditions needed for the psychophysical phenomenon of direct forward masking. Introduction of phase differences between the masker and the masked signal led to decreases in suppression of responses to the masked signal and to faster recovery of the reaction types recorded. The greatest relative differences between response magnitudes to antiphase and synphase masked signals were seen at the beginning of the recovery process, and were 1.6, 1.5, and 1.4 respectively for responses from the inferior colliculus, auditory area of the cortex, and LAEP at stimulus intensities of 50-65 dB sound pressure level, differences subsequently decreasing to zero. There was a positive correlation between this measure and the stimulus intensity. The greatest differences between the time at which the recovery process ended for responses to antiphase and synphase masked signals were 4, 250, and about 2000 msec respectively for the inferior colliculus, auditory area of the cortex, and LAEP.