Journal of Neuroscience · 2007 · 203 citations · 28 references
Life SciencesNeurosciencePhysiologyNeurophysiologySensory NeuroscienceSystems NeuroscienceCross-modal Sensory InteractionsMultisensory IntegrationNeural IntegrationSensorimotor IntegrationSensory IntegrationCross-modal InteractionsMultimodal Sensory ProcessingMultisensory InteractionSuperior Colliculus IntegrationTemporal Profile Analysis
Individual superior colliculus neurons integrate multiple sensory inputs, producing responses that can exceed the best unisensory component and even their arithmetic sum (superadditivity). The experiments aimed to examine the temporal dynamics of multisensory integration in this system. Cross‑modal stimuli shortened response latencies by an average of 6.2 ms, with the greatest enhancement occurring early in the response, and most responses displayed superadditive effects predominantly at the onset.
Individual superior colliculus (SC) neurons integrate information from multiple sensory sources to enhance their physiological response. The response of an SC neuron to a cross-modal stimulus combination can not only exceed the best component unisensory response but can also exceed their arithmetic sum (i.e., superadditivity). The present experiments were designed to investigate the temporal profile of multisensory integration in this model system. We found that cross-modal stimuli frequently shortened physiological response latencies (mean shift, 6.2 ms) and that response enhancement was greatest in the initial phase of the response (the phenomenon of initial response enhancement). The vast majority of the responses studied evidenced superadditive computations, most often at the beginning of the multisensory response.
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