Use of animal models to define the neuroanatomy and physiology of multisensory processing
Single Paper Presentation

Charles E. Schroeder
The Nathan Kline Institute, USA

     Abstract ID Number: 167
     Full text: Not available
     Last modified: May 2, 2005
     Presentation date: 06/05/2005 10:00 AM in MART Auditorium
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Abstract
Behavioral and neurophysiological experiments have established many of the critical parameters of multisensory processing in humans. Despite rapid technical advances, these studies are often limited in their ability to link behavioral and perceptual effects to their underlying neuronal mechanisms. Nonhuman animal models can help to bridge this gap, provided that appropriate cross-species equivalencies are established. This tutorial will describe the process of using the monkey as an experimental model for providing a detailed mechanistic description of the anatomy and physiology of multisensory processing in the brain. I will cover the means by which we: 1) establish human-simian homologies, 2) outline key brain regions and neural connections, and 3) identify relevant neuronal populations and physiological processes. I will also describe key linkages between monkey studies and those in other species, including both cats and humans. Finally, to illustrate the strengths and limitations of cross-species investigation and comparison, I will summarize what we know (or think we know) about multisensory interactions at early, putatively unisensory stages of cortical processing.