Multisensory integration shortens physiological response latencies.
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.
Rowland
Benjamin A
BA
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA. browland@wfubmc.edu
Quessy
Stephan
S
Stanford
Terrence R
TR
Stein
Barry E
BE
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000502:physiology