Neural correlates of audiovisual sensory integration

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the neural basis of information matching during sensory integration using a spatial-temporal matching task in healthy individuals. Method: A total of 37 healthy participants were recruited to match spatial dots with an auditory tone sequence in a 3T GE Discovery MR750 scanner. In addition, they were examined with the sensory integration subscale of the Cambridge Neurological Inventory. Results: We found that the bilateral occipitalparietal conjunction cortex and the precentral frontal gyrus were activated during the matching condition rather than in the nonmatching condition. Activation of the occipital-parietal conjunction cortex was associated with integration of information across visual and auditory modalities, whereas activation of the precentral frontal gyrus was associated with decision making of movements. In addition, activation of the left superior frontal gyrus was associated with scores on the sensory integration subscale of the Cambridge Neurological Inventory. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the bilateral occipital-parietal conjunction cortex is responsible for matching information input from multiple modalities during audiovisual sensory integration.