Dr-MUSIC: An Effective Device for Investigating Multisensory Mechanisms during Development with EEG recordings

From birth, we are continuously exposed to multisensory stimuli that we learn to select and integrate during development to perceive a coherent world. To date, there are no optimal solutions to investigate how auditory, visual and tactile signals are integrated during EEG recording in infants and children. The present work aims to introduce Dr-MUSIC, a novel multisensory device with EEG-compatible timing and an attractive design for children. It is composed of audio, visual, and tactile stimulators arranged in the form of a couple of chubby dragons that can simultaneously provide selectable uni-, bi-, or tri-modal information. We first validated the system's EEG compatibility in 8 adults by implementing an audio-tactile oddball task during a high-density EEG recording. Then, we replicated the same task in a couple of toddlers to validate the device's usability for young children. The results suggest that the system can be effectively used for setting new experimental protocols to understand the neural basis of multisensory integration in the first years of life.Clinical Relevance- The amusing design and the possibility of changing the stimulation's characteristics (i.e., light, sound, and vibrotactile features) make it attractive in children with and without sensory impairments. Therefore, Dr-MUSIC could be used to investigate multisensory development and related neural correlates in typical and atypical children to design new early rehabilitation protocols.