Stimulus intensity modulates multisensory temporal processing.

One of the more challenging feats that multisensory systems must perform is to determine which sensory signals originate from the same external event, and thus should be integrated or "bound" into a singular perceptual object or event, and which signals should be segregated. Two important stimulus properties impacting this process are the timing and effectiveness of the paired stimuli. It has been well established that the more temporally aligned two stimuli are, the greater the degree to which they influence one another's processing.

Interactions between space and effectiveness in human multisensory performance.

Several stimulus factors are important in multisensory integration, including the spatial and temporal relationships of the paired stimuli as well as their effectiveness. Changes in these factors have been shown to dramatically change the nature and magnitude of multisensory interactions. Typically, these factors are considered in isolation, although there is a growing appreciation for the fact that they are likely to be strongly interrelated.

Impact of response duration on multisensory integration.

Multisensory neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) have been shown to have large receptive fields that are heterogeneous in nature. These neurons have the capacity to integrate their different sensory inputs, a process that has been shown to depend on the physical characteristics of the stimuli that are combined (i.e.

Interactions between the spatial and temporal stimulus factors that influence multisensory integration in human performance.

In natural environments, human sensory systems work in a coordinated and integrated manner to perceive and respond to external events. Previous research has shown that the spatial and temporal relationships of sensory signals are paramount in determining how information is integrated across sensory modalities, but in ecologically plausible settings, these factors are not independent. In the current study, we provide a novel exploration of the impact on behavioral performance for systematic manipulations of the spatial location and temporal synchrony of a visual-auditory stimulus pair.

Novel assessment of cortical response to somatosensory stimuli in children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy.

The brain's response to somatosensory stimuli is essential to experience-driven learning in children. It was hypothesized that advances in event-related potential technology could quantify the response to touch in somatosensory cortices and characterize the responses of hemiparetic children. In this prospective study of 8 children (5-8 years old) with hemiparetic cerebral palsy, both event-related potential responses to sham or air puff trials and standard functional assessments were used.