Binaural interaction in the brainstem and middle latency auditory evoked potentials to intensity (dI) and timing differences (dT) between the two ears was studied in 10 normal hearing young adults. A component reflecting binaural interaction in the brainstem potentials occurred at approximately 7 ms and was of largest amplitude when dI and dT were 0. The latency of the binaural interaction component gradually shifted and its amplitude decreased as dI or dT increased and binaural interaction became undetectable when dI = 16 dB or when dT > or = 1.6 ms. In the middle latency potentials binaural interaction components peaking at 20, 32, and 45 ms were defined that were also largest when dI and dT = 0. The latency of the interaction did not shift with changes in dT and dI whereas the amplitude gradually decreased but binaural interaction components were still evident even at the largest values of dI (30 dB) and dT (3 ms). Psychophysical judgments of binaural perceptions showed binaural fusion of the stimuli to persist with dT values up to 1.6 ms and that lateralization of the intracranial image was complete when either dT = 1.6 ms or when dI = 16 dB. The results suggest that the presence of a binaural interaction component of auditory brainstem potentials correlates with the fusion of binaural click stimuli and the amplitude of the binaural interaction component correlates inversely with the degree of lateralization of the intracranial image. Binaural interaction components of middle latency potentials persist and continue to change even after the binaural stimuli cannot be fused.

Binaural interaction occurs in the auditory evoked potentials when the sum of the monaural auditory evoked potentials are not equivalent to the binaural evoked auditory potentials. Binaural interaction of the early- (0-10 ms), middle- (10-50 ms) and long-latency (50-200 ms) auditory evoked potentials was studied in 17 normal young adults. For the early components, binaural interaction was maximal at 7.35 ms accounting for a reduction of 21% of the amplitude of the binaural evoked potentials. For the middle latency auditory evoked potentials, binaural interaction was maximal at 39.6 ms accounting for a reduction of 48% of the binaural evoked potential. For the long-latency auditory evoked potentials, binaural interaction was maximal at 145 ms accounting for a reduction of 38% of the binaural evoked potential. In all of the auditory evoked potentials binaural interaction was long lasting around the maxima. The binaural interaction component extends for several milliseconds in the brainstem to tens of milliseconds in the middle- and long-latency components. Binaural interaction takes the form of a reduction of amplitude of the binaural evoked potential relative to the sum of the monaural responses, suggests that inhibitory processes are represented in binaural interaction using evoked potentials. Binaural processing in the auditory pathway is maximal in the time domain of the middle-latency components reflecting activity in the thalamo-cortical portions of the auditory pathways.

The auditory evoked brain stem potential was recorded in 14 normal full-term infants and nine normal-hearing adults. Silver-silver chloride electrodes were placed at nasion, forehead, vertex, each mastoid over the bony prominence, and the seventh cervical vertebra (noncephalic reference) in order to study the scalp distribution of the auditory brain stem response. Large differences in the scalp distribution between the newborn and adult populations were observed. At the ipsilateral mastoid, an x wave occurring at approximately 2 ms and a y wave occurring at approximately 3.3 ms were identified in the adult; this contrasts to a y wave at approximately 3.7 ms in the neonate. It appears that there are either separate generators for some of the components in the adult versus the neonate, and/or as the nervous system matures, myelinization occurs with a concomitant change in the scalp distribution of the auditory brain stem potentials.

Binaural interactions in brain-stem auditory evoked potentials and in middle latency auditory evoked potentials were studied in 18 normal hearing adults and 10 normal term infants. Binaural interactions at the times of ABR waves V and VI were comparable in term infants and adults. Binaural interaction during the time domain of the middle latency auditory evoked potentials was the greatest at N20 in term infants and at N40 in adults. Measurement of binaural interaction during maturation may be a useful tool in assessing neurologically affected infants.

The contribution of the cerebral cortex to the generation of sensory evoked potentials was studied in an infant with hydranencephaly. On CT scan no tissue above the thalamus was noted. Long-latency potentials to auditory stimuli were absent whereas the short-latency or brain-stem auditory evoked potentials and some of the components of the middle latency auditory evoked potentials (No and Po) were present. To visual stimulation only the electroretinogram was detected. To somatosensory stimulation only the spinal cord potentials could be detected. The absence of long-latency components in each of the sensory modalities supports the concept that these potentials require intact cerebral hemispheres in man.