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Neurobiology

Model hearing

Nature volume 417, pages 502–503 (2002)Cite this article

For the past 50 years a particular model of how animals locate the source of sounds has driven much of the research on auditory systems. It now seems, however, that this model might not apply to mammals.

Our ability to pinpoint the source of the sounds we hear is quite remarkable, but how do we do it? In general terms, the answer has been known since the time of Lord Rayleigh1: the localization of low-frequency sounds relies on a neural computation based on interaural time disparities (ITDs) — differences in the time it takes for a sound to reach each ear. Incredibly, we can detect ITDs of only a few microseconds, allowing us to distinguish between sounds separated by only a few degrees in space2.

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  1. Department of Neurobiology, University of Texas, Austin, 78712, Texas, USA

    George D. Pollak

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  1. George D. Pollak
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Correspondence to George D. Pollak.

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Pollak, G. Model hearing. Nature 417, 502–503 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/417502a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/417502a

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  • Hear, here

    • Rachel Jones

    Nature Reviews Neuroscience (2002)

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