Temporal cortex activation reveals emotional multisensory integration in preschoolers: An fNIRS study

Emotional multisensory integration is the process through which individuals form consistent emotional perceptions by combining information from various senses. Although this process has been well studied in early life and adulthood, limited attention was paid to its characteristics and neural mechanisms in preschoolers. This study utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy to explore the mechanisms by which preschoolers recognize happiness and anger in visual, auditory, and audiovisual conditions. Behavioral results showed that children were more accurate and faster in the audiovisual condition, especially for anger recognition. Neuroimaging results revealed increased activation in bilateral superior temporal gyrus and the left middle temporal gyrus during audiovisual tasks. Furthermore, happiness elicited stronger cortical responses than anger, yet no evidence of hemispheric lateralization was found. These findings enhance our comprehension of how children integrate emotions in audiovisual contexts and suggest potential interventions for populations with emotional perception challenges.