New Horizons in Multisensory Perception and Processing

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 17 May 2024 | Viewed by 4662

Special Issue Editor

INSPIRE LAB-Laboratory of Cognitive and Psychophysiological Olfactory Processes, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: olfactory cognition; event related potentials (ERP); chemosensory related potentials (CSERP); olfactory related potential (OERP); EEG; cognitive neuroscience; attention; pheromones
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The concept of perception is a concept that has changed significantly in recent decades.

Starting from the simplest concept of 'receptor organ' and localized receptor to the idea that there is a 'diffuse' receptor system (e.g., photoreceptors in the blood and olfactory receptors in the stomach, intestine, sperm) where the simple sensory response and perception lose their meaning if not included in a multisensory and multilevel perception system, in a process that starts from epigenetic transformations up to endogenous perceptual transformations. Chemoceptive processes, as well as those connected to auditory, tactile and vestibular aspects more than others, are adapted to multisensory aspects, where the concept of single-sensory perception is lost to expand to a concept of integrated and multi-sense perception. Studies conducted with methodologies, such as electrophysiology, functional magnetic resonance, fNIRS and cortical stimulation techniques, are welcome. Furthermore, both clinical and basic research models will be welcome. The purpose of this research topic is to promote scientific articles that highlight the new horizons in multisensory perception and processing.

Dr. Sara Invitto
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • chemosensory perception
  • multisensory perception
  • haptic perception
  • auditory perception
  • multisensory processing

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 953 KiB  
Article
Food Finding Test without Deprivation: A Sensorial Paradigm Sensitive to Sex, Genotype, and Isolation Shows Signatures of Derangements in Old Mice with Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology and Normal Aging
by Daniela Marín-Pardo and Lydia Giménez-Llort
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(3), 288; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14030288 - 18 Mar 2024
Viewed by 445
Abstract
The Food Finding Test (FFT) olfactory paradigm without overnight food deprivation examined olfaction in aged (16-months-old) animals. Ethograms of three goal-directed behaviors towards hidden food (sniffing, finding and eating) elicited in male and female 3xTg-AD mice for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and their age-matched [...] Read more.
The Food Finding Test (FFT) olfactory paradigm without overnight food deprivation examined olfaction in aged (16-months-old) animals. Ethograms of three goal-directed behaviors towards hidden food (sniffing, finding and eating) elicited in male and female 3xTg-AD mice for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and their age-matched C57BL/6 wild-type counterparts with normal aging were meticulously analyzed with the support of video recordings. The new FFT protocol elicited longer ethograms than previously reported with the standard deprivation protocol. However, it was sensitive when identifying genotype- and sex-dependent olfactory signatures for the temporal patterns of slow sniffing, finding, and eating in AD and males, but it had a striking consistency in females. The impact of forced social isolation was studied and it was found to exert sex-dependent modifications of the ethogram, mostly in males. Still, in both sexes, a functional derangement was detected since the internal correlations among the behaviors decreased or were lost under isolated conditions. In conclusion, the new paradigm without overnight deprivation was sensitive to sex (males), genotype (AD), and social context (isolation-dependent changes) in its ethogram and functional correlation. At the translational level, it is a warning about the impact of isolation in the advanced stages of the disease, paying notable attention to the male sex. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Horizons in Multisensory Perception and Processing)
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14 pages, 1644 KiB  
Article
Working Memory Maintenance of Visual and Auditory Spatial Information Relies on Supramodal Neural Codes in the Dorsal Frontoparietal Cortex
by Aurora Rizza, Tiziana Pedale, Serena Mastroberardino, Marta Olivetti Belardinelli, Rob H. J. Van der Lubbe, Charles Spence and Valerio Santangelo
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(2), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14020123 - 24 Jan 2024
Viewed by 900
Abstract
The frontoparietal attention network plays a pivotal role during working memory (WM) maintenance, especially under high-load conditions. Nevertheless, there is ongoing debate regarding whether this network relies on supramodal or modality-specific neural signatures. In this study, we used multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) to [...] Read more.
The frontoparietal attention network plays a pivotal role during working memory (WM) maintenance, especially under high-load conditions. Nevertheless, there is ongoing debate regarding whether this network relies on supramodal or modality-specific neural signatures. In this study, we used multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) to evaluate the neural representation of visual versus auditory information during WM maintenance. During fMRI scanning, participants maintained small or large spatial configurations (low- or high-load trials) of either colour shades or sound pitches in WM for later retrieval. Participants were less accurate in retrieving high- vs. low-load trials, demonstrating an effective manipulation of WM load, irrespective of the sensory modality. The frontoparietal regions involved in maintaining high- vs. low-load spatial maps in either sensory modality were highlighted using a conjunction analysis. Widespread activity was found across the dorsal frontoparietal network, peaking on the frontal eye fields and the superior parietal lobule, bilaterally. Within these regions, MVPAs were performed to quantify the pattern of distinctness of visual vs. auditory neural codes during WM maintenance. These analyses failed to reveal distinguishable patterns in the dorsal frontoparietal regions, thus providing support for a common, supramodal neural code associated with the retention of either visual or auditory spatial configurations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Horizons in Multisensory Perception and Processing)
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8 pages, 728 KiB  
Article
Sensory Reweighting for Postural Control in Older Adults with Age-Related Hearing Loss
by Lydia Behtani, Daniel Paromov, Karina Moïn-Darbari, Marie-Soleil Houde, Benoit Antoine Bacon, Maxime Maheu, Tony Leroux and François Champoux
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(12), 1623; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13121623 - 23 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1094
Abstract
There is growing evidence linking hearing impairments and the deterioration of postural stability in older adults. To our knowledge, however, no study to date has investigated the effect of age-related hearing loss on the sensory reweighting process during postural control. In the absence [...] Read more.
There is growing evidence linking hearing impairments and the deterioration of postural stability in older adults. To our knowledge, however, no study to date has investigated the effect of age-related hearing loss on the sensory reweighting process during postural control. In the absence of data, much is unknown about the possible mechanisms, both deleterious and compensatory, that could underly the deterioration of postural control following hearing loss in the elderly. The aim of this study was to empirically examine sensory reweighting for postural control in older adults with age-related hearing loss as compared to older adults with normal hearing. The center of pressure of all participants was recorded using a force platform and the modified clinical test of sensory interaction and balance protocol. The results suggest that individuals with age-related hearing loss displayed increased somatosensory reliance relative to normal hearing younger adults. This increased reliance on somatosensory input does not appear to be effective in mitigating the loss of postural control, probably due to the concomitant deterioration of tactile and proprioceptive sensitivity and acuity associated with aging. Beyond helping to further define the role of auditory perception in postural control, these results further the understanding of sensory-related mechanisms associated with postural instability in older adults. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Horizons in Multisensory Perception and Processing)
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13 pages, 1856 KiB  
Article
Primacy Effect of Dynamic Multi-Sensory Covid ADV Influences Cognitive and Emotional EEG Responses
by Carlotta Acconito, Laura Angioletti and Michela Balconi
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(5), 785; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13050785 - 11 May 2023
Viewed by 1603
Abstract
Advertising uses sounds and dynamic images to provide visual, auditory, and tactile experiences, and to make the audience feel like the protagonist. During COVID-19, companies modified their communication by including pandemic references, but without penalizing multisensorial advertising. This study investigated how dynamic and [...] Read more.
Advertising uses sounds and dynamic images to provide visual, auditory, and tactile experiences, and to make the audience feel like the protagonist. During COVID-19, companies modified their communication by including pandemic references, but without penalizing multisensorial advertising. This study investigated how dynamic and emotional COVID-19-related advertising affects consumer cognitive and emotional responses. Nineteen participants, divided into two groups, watched three COVID-19-related and three non-COVID-19-related advertisements in two different orders (Order 1: COVID-19 and non-COVID-19; Order 2: non-COVID-19 and COVID-19), while electrophysiological data were collected. EEG showed theta activation in frontal and temporo-central areas when comparing Order 2 to Order 1, interpreted as cognitive control over salient emotional stimuli. An increase in alpha activity in parieto-occipital area was found in Order 2 compared to Order 1, suggesting an index of cognitive engagement. Higher beta activity in frontal area was observed for COVID-19 stimuli in Order 1 compared to Order 2, which can be defined as an indicator of high cognitive impact. Order 1 showed a greater beta activation in parieto-occipital area for non-COVID-19 stimuli compared to Order 2, as an index of reaction for painful images. This work suggests that order of exposure, more than advertising content, affects electrophysiological consumer responses, leading to a primacy effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Horizons in Multisensory Perception and Processing)
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