It is now possible to relate the intrinsic electrical properties of particular cells in the cochlear nuclei of mammals with their biological function. In the layered dorsal cochlear nucleus, information concerning the location of a sound source seems to be contained in the spatial pattern of activation of a population of neurons. In the unlayered, ventral cochlear nucleus, however, neurons carry information in their temporal firing patterns. The voltage-sensitive conductances that make responses to synaptic current brief enable bushy cells to convey signals from the auditory nerve to the superior olivary complex with a temporal precision of at least 120 microseconds.