Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Modification of a Colliculo-thalamocortical Mouse Brain Slice, Incorporating 3-D printing of Chamber Components and Multi-scale Optical Imaging
Published on: September 18, 2015
The claustrum/insula region integrates conceptually related sounds and pictures
Hamid Reza Naghavi1, Johan Eriksson, Anne Larsson
1Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. hamidreza.naghavi@psy.umu.se
Abstract:
The brain is able to create coherent percepts from multisensory input. This phenomenon, known as multisensory integration (MSI), is a ubiquitous feature of everyday life and has been found to be essential for a reliable interaction with the environment. Recent functional neuroimaging studies suggest that several different networks are engaged in various forms of MSI depending on the nature of information being integrated. However, little is known about the neural basis of a fundamental form of MSI in natural conditions; integration of common auditory and visual objects which are conceptually related, such as when we look at a cat and hear a meowing sound. Here we used event-related fMRI to compare the brain response to conceptually related and unrelated pairs of audio-visual stimuli denoting common objects. Our protocol was designed to preclude contamination of the results by cognitive processes additional to those needed for MSI. The results indicate that higher-order temporal and occipital areas respond to coincident sounds and pictures regardless of their semantic relationship; whereas, the right claustrum/insula region is differentially activated in association with multisensory integration of conceptually related common objects. This observation has important implications for understanding how multimodal information about common objects is represented in the brain.
Related Concept Videos
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Association Areas of the Cortex
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Auditory Pathway
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
Diencephalon: Anatomical Regions
Lobes of the Cerebrum
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are the command center of our brain, controlling personality, intelligence, and voluntary muscle movements.

