Brief cortical deactivation early in life has long-lasting effects on multisensory behavior.
Detecting and locating environmental events are markedly enhanced by the midbrain's ability to integrate visual and auditory cues. Its capacity for multisensory integration develops in cats 1-4 months after birth but only after acquiring extensive visual-auditory experience. However, briefly deactivating specific regions of association cortex during this period induced long-term disruption of this maturational process, such that even 1 year later animals were unable to integrate visual and auditory cues to enhance their behavioral performance. The data from this animal model reveal a window of sensitivity within which association cortex mediates the encoding of cross-modal experience in the midbrain. Surprisingly, however, 3 years later, and without any additional intervention, the capacity appeared fully developed. This suggests that, although sensitivity degrades with age, the potential for acquiring or modifying multisensory integration capabilities extends well into adulthood.
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157 browland@wakehealth.edu.
Benjamin A
BA
Rowland
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157.
Wan
W
Jiang
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157.
Barry E
BE
Stein
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002415:Cats; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009118:Muscimol / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011601:Psychophysics; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*
D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D009118:Muscimol
colliculus; cross-modal; enhancement; multisensory; orientation; plasticity