title: Audio-visual integration effect in lateral occipital cortex during an object recognition task: An interference pilot study.
abstract: Recent neuroimaging data support the hypothesis of a multisensory interplay at low-level sensory-specific cortex.
  
  
  
  We used an on-line interference approach by rTMS to investigate the role of the left lateral occipital cortex (LOC) in audio-visual (AV) object recognition process.
  
  
  
  Fifteen healthy volunteers performed a visual identification task of degraded pictures presented alone or simultaneously to coherent or non-coherent sounds. Focal 10-Hz rTMS at an intensity of 100% resting motor threshold was delivered simultaneously to the picture. Two blocks of 60 pictures were randomly displayed in two different experimental conditions: rTMS of the left LOC and over Cz.
  
  
  
  rTMS of the left LOC produced a worsening of the accuracy compared to rTMS over Cz specifically in the coherent AV condition.
  
  
  
  These data support the view that audio-visual interaction effect may occur at early stage of recognition processing.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neurology, Florence Health Authority, Florence, Italy; Departments of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giovannelli
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giganti
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Righi
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peru
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neurology, Florence Health Authority, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borgheresi
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neurology, Florence Health Authority, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zaccara
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Viggiano
authors.affiliation: Unit of Neurology, Florence Health Authority, Florence, Italy. Electronic address: cincotta@unifi.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cincotta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Audio–visual integration; Lateral occipital cortex; Object recognition; Transcranial magnetic stimulation