title: Multisensory causal inference in the brain.
abstract: At any given moment, our brain processes multiple inputs from its different sensory modalities (vision, hearing, touch, etc.). In deciphering this array of sensory information, the brain has to solve two problems: (1) which of the inputs originate from the same object and should be integrated and (2) for the sensations originating from the same object, how best to integrate them. Recent behavioural studies suggest that the human brain solves these problems using optimal probabilistic inference, known as Bayesian causal inference. However, how and where the underlying computations are carried out in the brain have remained unknown. By combining neuroimaging-based decoding techniques and computational modelling of behavioural data, a new study now sheds light on how multisensory causal inference maps onto specific brain areas. The results suggest that the complexity of neural computations increases along the visual hierarchy and link specific components of the causal inference process with specific visual and parietal regions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kayser
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychology and BioEngineering and the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ladan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shams
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011601:Psychophysics; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*