L7, Multisensory Integration Flashcards
What is multisensory integration?
The combination of different sensory stimuli. Operationally it is defined as a statistical difference between the number of impulses evoked by a cross-modal combination of stimuli and the number evoked by the most effective of these individually.
What does the spatial/temporal window of MSI refer to?
The brain is more likely to combine sensory information if it occurs close in time and space
How is MSI assessed?
By considering the effectiveness of cross-modal stimuli.
What is a bi-/unimodal neuron?
Bimodal: responds to two different stimuli (ex sound and vision)
Unimodal: responds to one stimulus (ex. sound does not influence vision)
Why is the superior colliculus important for MSI?
The superior colliculus (in the midbrain) is important for integrating modalities, sensory-motor transduction, and has a high proportion of multisensory nerves.
What is the difference between sub-additive and super-additive neural computation?
Subadditive: The unisensory component is more vigorous
Superadditive: The integration response exceeds both the single most vigorous component and the sum of all unisensory components.
What are multisensory enhancements?
The increased likelihood of detecting and/or initiating a response to the source of signal
