Organizer: Elisa Raffaella Ferré, Royal Holloway University of London Abstract: The vestibular system is essential for successful interactions with the environment, providing an absolute reference for orientation and gravity. Vestibular information has been traditionally considered a cue for basic behaviours, such as balance, oculo-motor adjustments, and self-motion. However, recent studies have highlighted the fundamental role played by the vestibular system in brain functions beyond reflexes and postural adjustment. These include vestibular contributions to several aspects of cognition, including multisensory perception, spatial representation, emotion, attention and body models. This symposium brings together international experts with their own unique interests to the vestibular system. Laurence Harris will present experimental results on vestibular-somatosensory interaction highlighting its role in perceiving the timing of sensory events. Elisa Ferré will focus on how vestibular inputs integrate…
T1.1 A common mechanism processes auditory and visual motion Alais, D., Fernández Folgueiras U. & Leung, D. University of Sydney [show_more more="Show abstract" less="Hide abstract"]Neuroimaging studies suggest human visual area V5, an area specialised for motion processing, responds to movement presented in the visual, auditory or tactile domains. Here we report behavioural findings strongly implying…
Organizer: Marc Ernst & Irene Senna, Ulm University Abstract: Would a person born blind who regained sight via some surgical intervention be able to learn to ‘see’? That is, would that individual be able to interpret the images that reach the retina and combine them with other senses in order to build a multisensory representation of the world, and to interact with the environment? Surgically treating congenitally blind individuals (e.g., born with bilateral cataract) after extended periods of blindness provides a unique opportunity to study the development of visual skills, and the ability to combine vision with other senses. For example, whether newly sighted individuals can learn to use their vision to recognize objects previously recognized only through touch, and to build multimodal representation of objects is still an open question. Behavioural…
