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Sensory substitution reveals a manipulation bias
Anja T Zai1,2, Sophie Cavé-Lopez1, Manon Rolland3
1Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
Nature Communications
|November 24, 2020
Summary
Deaf songbirds learned to sing using visual feedback, showing that sensory substitution can drive vocal learning. This suggests designing systems to leverage the innate drive for sensory feedback is key for acceptance.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Bioacoustics
- Sensory Biology
Background:
- Sensory substitution aims to replace lost sensory input with alternative modalities.
- Current systems face challenges with subject acceptance and efficacy.
- Understanding how sensory feedback influences behavior is crucial for therapeutic design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of visual sensory substitution on vocal behavior in deaf songbirds.
- To explore the affective valence associated with sensory substitution-driven actions.
- To determine the neural basis of visually guided vocal learning.
Main Methods:
- Deaf songbirds were provided with song-contingent visual feedback.
- Behavioral responses to visual stimuli were analyzed.
- The role of the basal ganglia in visually instructed song learning was assessed.
Main Results:
- Deaf birds exhibited appetitive responses to visual feedback, actively modifying songs to increase stimulus rate.
- Auditory feedback was not essential for targeted vocal repertoire changes.
- Visually instructed song learning was dependent on basal ganglia function.
- Hearing birds showed aversion to the same visual stimuli.
Conclusions:
- Sensory substitution can effectively drive vocal learning and behavior modification in the absence of natural auditory feedback.
- There is a fundamental preference for actions that generate sensory feedback, irrespective of modality.
- Substitution systems should be designed to harness this drive for sensory engagement to improve user acceptance and therapeutic outcomes.
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