A visuo-haptic object-related fMR-adaptation: a new approach to studying multisensory interactions
Noa Tal, Amir Amedi
Poster
Time: 2009-07-01 09:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Last modified: 2009-06-04
Abstract
Neuroimaging techniques have provided ample evidence for multisensory integration in humans. However, it is not clear whether this integration occurs at the neuronal level or whether it reflects a real convergence without such integration. To examine this issue as regards visuo-tactile object integration we used the repetition suppression effect, also known as the fMRI-based adaptation paradigm (fMR-A). Under some assumptions fMR-A can tag specific neuronal populations within an area and investigate their characteristics. This technique has been used extensively in unisensory studies. Here we applied it for the first time to study multisensory integration and identified a network of occipital (Lotv and Calcarine), Parietal (aIPS), and Prefrontal (Precentral sulcus and the Insula) areas all showing a clear crossmodal object related fMR-A. These results provide a crucial first insight into the neuronal basis of visuo-haptic integration of objects in humans and highlight the power of using fMR-A to study multisensory integration using non-invasinve neuroimaging techniques.