The lateral superior olive compares ear intensities via excitation and inhibition

Evidence

Coding for ILDs consists of both excitatory and inhibitory connections (Brownell, Manis, & Ritz; 1979), and the neural connections to the LSO are illustrated in Figure 7–5. An excitatory neural connection, shown by the solid line, exists between the cochlear nucleus and the ipsilateral (same side) LSO, whereas an inhibitory connection, shown by the dashed line, exists between the cochlear nucleus and the contralateral (opposite side) LSO. To illustrate how this might work, consider a sound located in the left side of the body with a large ILD. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1477

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains the neural mechanism (ipsilateral excitation, contralateral inhibition) the LSO uses to encode ILD.