title: Utilizing the ventriloquism-effect to investigate audio-visual binding.
abstract: Audio-visual binding - as subset of crossmodal integration - describes the combination of information across both these senses to the subjective unified perception of a bound object. We investigated audio-visual binding by using the ventriloquism-effect (localization of a sound is biased towards and by a simultaneous visual stimulus) to act as an indicator for perceived binding. Simple visual and auditory stimuli were presented synchronously or asynchronously. fMRI was recorded during task performance (n = 19 subjects) in order to reveal activation in areas discussed to be involved in multisensory processing in the literature. Contrasting trials with reported ventriloquism-effect versus the no-binding condition revealed activation in the insula, superior temporal sulcus and parieto-occipital sulcus. Implementing the ventriloquism-effect allows us to relate these activations to consciousness-related processes, which probably are different from stimulus-driven multisensory integration in subcortical areas.
authors.affiliation: Bender Institute of Neuroimaging and Department of Clinical and Physiological Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany. matthias.bischoff@psychol.uni-giessen.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bischoff
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Blecker
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morgen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vaitl
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sammer
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D015982:Bias; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen