Stream segregation based on interaural time differences: differential effects on transient and sustained components of the fMRI BOLD response in human auditory cortex

Auditory stream segregation is an elementary process of auditory scene analysis. Most studies of stream segregation used spectral or pitch differences to induce stream segregation, while only few studies evaluated spatial cues. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography studies suggest enhanced activity in auditory cortex (AC) during streaming, as a consequence of a decreased perceived tone-repetition rate. Here we investigate streaming based on interaural time differences (ITD), and in particular the effect of ITD on the blood oxygen level dependend (BOLD) response measured by fMRI…