Multisensory interaction in the torus semicircularis of the clawed toad Xenopus laevis

Interactions between the lateral-line, general somatosensory and auditory system were studied using field potential analysis and single unit recordings in the torus semicircularis of the clawed toad Xenopus laevis. As a response to paired stimuli (electric shocks applied to the peripheral nerves or acoustic clicks), in all systems a reduction of the second evoked potential occurred for intervals of up to 5 s. Following consecutive stimulation of two different systems, the amplitude of the second evoked potential was also reduced, indicating mutual interaction of different systems. Single unit recordings revealed the existence of both inhibitory and excitatory interaction between different modalities.