Bischoff M, Walter B, Blecker CR, Morgen K, Vaitl D, Sammer G. Utilizing the ventriloquism-effect to investigate audio-visual binding.
Neuropsychologia 2007;
45:578-86. [PMID:
16620884 DOI:
10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.03.008]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2005] [Revised: 02/13/2006] [Accepted: 03/03/2006] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Audio-visual binding - as subset of crossmodal integration - describes the combination of information across both these senses to the subjective unified perception of a bound object. We investigated audio-visual binding by using the ventriloquism-effect (localization of a sound is biased towards and by a simultaneous visual stimulus) to act as an indicator for perceived binding. Simple visual and auditory stimuli were presented synchronously or asynchronously. fMRI was recorded during task performance (n = 19 subjects) in order to reveal activation in areas discussed to be involved in multisensory processing in the literature. Contrasting trials with reported ventriloquism-effect versus the no-binding condition revealed activation in the insula, superior temporal sulcus and parieto-occipital sulcus. Implementing the ventriloquism-effect allows us to relate these activations to consciousness-related processes, which probably are different from stimulus-driven multisensory integration in subcortical areas.
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