Multisensory Versus Unisensory Integration: Contrasting Modes in the Superior Colliculus.
From: Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. jalvarad@wfubmc.edu
Journal of neurophysiology
- Publish Date: May 2007
- ISSN: 0022-3077
- Volume: 97
- Issue: 5
- Pages: 3193-205
- Medium: Print
- Language: English
- Citation (JAMA): Alvarado Juan Carlos, Vaughan J William, Stanford Terrence R, et al. Multisensory Versus Unisensory Integration: Contrasting Modes in the Superior Colliculus.. J. Neurophysiol. May 2007;97:3193-205
Abstract
The present study suggests that the neural computations used to integrate information from different senses are distinct from those used to integrate information from within the same sense. Using superior colliculus neurons as a model, it was found that multisensory integration of cross-modal stimulus combinations yielded responses that were significantly greater than those evoked by the best component stimulus. In contrast, unisensory integration of within-modal stimulus pairs yielded responses that were similar to or less than those evoked by the best component stimulus. This difference is exemplified by the disproportionate representations of superadditive responses during multisensory integration and the predominance of subadditive responses during unisensory integration. These observations suggest that different rules have evolved for integrating sensory information, one (unisensory) reflecting the inherent characteristics of the individual sense and, the other (multisensory), unique supramodal characteristics designed to enhance the salience of the initiating event.
Mesh Headings (Keywords): Acoustic Stimulation, Action Potentials, Animals, Cats, Models, Biological, Neurons, Afferent, Photic Stimulation, Reaction Time, Superior Colliculi, Visual Perception
Check for Full Text / PubMed Unique Identifier (PMID): 17329632
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