The ability to localize sound sources relies on differences between the signals at the two ears. These differences are also the basis for binaural unmasking, an improvement in detecting or understanding a sound masked by sources from other locations. The neurocomputational operation that underlies binaural unmasking is still a matter of debate. Current models rely on the cross-correlation function of the signals at the two ears, the neuronal substrate of which has been observed in the barn owl but not in mammals. This disagreement lead to the formulation of an alternative coding mechanism where interaural differences are encoded using the neuronal activity within two hemispheric channels. This mechanism agrees with mammalian physiology but has not yet been shown to account for binaural unmasking in humans. This study introduces a new mathematical formulation for the two-channel model, which is then used to explain the outcome of an extensive library of psychoacoustic experiments.

翻译：声源本地化的能力取决于双耳信号之间的差异。 这些差异也是二进制解构的基础, 是检测或理解来自其他地点的源头遮盖的声响的改进。 支撑双进制解构的神经合成操作仍然是一个争论问题。 目前模型依赖于双耳信号的交叉关系功能, 双耳的信号神经基质在谷仓猫头鹰身上观察到, 而在哺乳动物身上没有观察到。 这种分歧导致形成一种替代的编码机制, 通过两个半球通道的神经活动对内部差异进行编码。 这个机制与哺乳动物生理学一致, 但尚未被显示为人类的双进制解构形功能。 此研究为双声道模型引入了新的数学配方, 然后用于解释广泛的心理实验图书馆的结果 。