Cytochemical investigation of binaurally converging connections in nuclei of the cat superior olive

Binaurally converging connections at the level of the superior olivary nuclei were investigated in anesthetized cats by the method of quantitative cytospectrophotometry. As a result of monaural stimulation for 2 h with burst of rhythmic noise a marked increase was observed in the content of cytoplasmic RNA in neurons of the ipsilateral and contralateral medial and lateral nuclei. The volume of functioning neurons of these nuclei either showed no significant change or was increased. Some idea of the character of the functional organization of binaurally convergent connections can be deduced from these results.