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Keeping in touch with the visual system: spatial alignment and multisensory integration of visual-somatosensory
Jeannette R Mahoney1, Sophie Molholm2, John S Butler3
1The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg NY, USA ; Division of Cognitive and Motor Aging, Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York NY, USA.
Frontiers in Psychology
|August 25, 2015
Summary
Multisensory integration (MSI) occurs early in visual-somatosensory processing, with faster reaction times and earlier neural responses when stimuli align spatially. This suggests spatial specificity in early visual-somatosensory interactions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sensory Processing
- Multisensory Integration
Background:
- Multisensory integration (MSI) occurs in the brain, combining information from different senses.
- The precise timing and location of MSI, especially visual-somatosensory (VS) integration, are still debated.
- Evidence suggests MSI can happen at early sensory processing stages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if visual-somatosensory (VS) integration patterns differ for stimuli in the same versus opposite visual hemifields.
- To determine the timing of VS interactions during sensory processing.
- To examine if spatial alignment influences VS integration.
Main Methods:
- High-density electrical mapping (electrophysiology) was used.
- Psychophysical methods (reaction time measurements) complemented electrophysiological data.
- Visual and somatosensory stimuli were presented to left and right hemifields, both aligned and misaligned.
Main Results:
- Reaction times were faster for all VS pairings compared to unisensory stimuli, indicating MSI.
- Electrophysiological results showed significant differences between multisensory and summed unisensory responses, irrespective of spatial alignment.
- Multisensory effects occurred earlier in spatially aligned conditions, particularly for right-sided stimuli (starting at 55 ms).
Conclusions:
- Visual-somatosensory integration occurs early in sensory processing.
- Spatial alignment influences the timing and robustness of early VS integration.
- The findings suggest spatial specificity in the earliest detectable VS multisensory integrative effects.
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