BMI Seminar // Modulation of multisensory integration in the posterior parietal cortex

Sensory perception in the real world requires proper integration of different modality inputs. The process of multisensory integration is not uniform. It varies from individual to individual and changes at different behavioral states of the animal. What factors affect the multisensory integration? Here I present our recent findings on neural circuit mechanisms for modulation of sensory processing and integration. We found that the posterior parietal cortex receives converging inputs from the primary visual and auditory cortices and plays a critical role in audio-visual integration in mice. We further found that circuits in the posterior parietal cortex can be modulated by the locomotion and in turn modifies the multisensory perceptual behaviors in mice. We suggest that the multisensory information is not a simple, fixed signal in the brain. Multisensory processing is dynamically modulated in the mammalian brain and leads to unique and subjective experience of perception.