Luxin Zhou1,2 • Yong Gu1,2

1 CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China

2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

 

Abstract

    Accurate self-motion perception, which is critical for organisms to survive, is a process involving multiple sensory cues. The two most powerful cues are visual (optic fow) and vestibular (inertial motion). Psychophysical studies have indicated that humans and nonhuman primates integrate the two cues to improve the estimation of selfmotion direction, often in a statistically Bayesian-optimal way. In the last decade, single-unit recordings in awake, behaving animals have provided valuable neurophysiological data with a high spatial and temporal resolution, giving insight into possible neural mechanisms underlying multisensory self-motion perception. Here, we review these fndings, along with new evidence from the most recent studies focusing on the temporal dynamics of signals in different modalities. We show that, in light of new data, conventional thoughts about the cortical mechanisms underlying visuovestibular integration for linear self-motion are challenged. We propose that diferent temporal component signals may mediate diferent functions, a possibility that requires future studies.

 

 

Keywords

Multisensory integration; Self-motion perception; Vestibular; Optic flow

 

 

[SpringerLink]