Audiovisual Temporal Processing and Synchrony Perception in the Rat

Extensive research on humans has improved our understanding of how the brain integrates information from our different senses, and has begun to uncover the brain regions and large-scale neural activity that contributes to an observer's ability to perceive the relative timing of auditory and vis...

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Published in:	Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience Vol. 10; p. 246
Main Authors:	Schormans, Ashley L, Scott, Kaela E, Vo, Albert M Q, Tyker, Anna, Typlt, Marei, Stolzberg, Daniel, Allman, Brian L
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 10-01-2017 Frontiers Media S.A
Subjects:	Autism Dentistry Firing pattern Hearing Information processing Just noticeable difference Localization Neurons Neuroscience Neurosciences Perceptions Rodents Sensory integration Temporal cortex Temporal variations Visual cortex Visual stimuli Canada audiovisual temporal synchrony electrophysiology lateral extrastriate visual cortex animal model multisensory processing simultaneity judgment temporal order judgment
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Summary:	Extensive research on humans has improved our understanding of how the brain integrates information from our different senses, and has begun to uncover the brain regions and large-scale neural activity that contributes to an observer's ability to perceive the relative timing of auditory and visual stimuli. In the present study, we developed the first behavioral tasks to assess the perception of audiovisual temporal synchrony in rats. Modeled after the parameters used in human studies, separate groups of rats were trained to perform: (1) a simultaneity judgment task in which they reported whether audiovisual stimuli at various stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) were presented simultaneously or not; and (2) a temporal order judgment task in which they reported whether they perceived the auditory or visual stimulus to have been presented first. Furthermore, using electrophysiological recordings in the lateral extrastriate visual (V2L) cortex of anesthetized rats, we performed the first investigation of how neurons in the rat multisensory cortex integrate audiovisual stimuli presented at different SOAs. As predicted, rats ( = 7) trained to perform the simultaneity judgment task could accurately (~80%) identify synchronous vs. asynchronous (200 ms SOA) trials. Moreover, the rats judged trials at 10 ms SOA to be synchronous, whereas the majority (~70%) of trials at 100 ms SOA were perceived to be asynchronous. During the temporal order judgment task, rats ( = 7) perceived the synchronous audiovisual stimuli to be "visual first" for ~52% of the trials, and calculation of the smallest timing interval between the auditory and visual stimuli that could be detected in each rat (i.e., the (JND)) ranged from 77 ms to 122 ms. Neurons in the rat V2L cortex were sensitive to the timing of audiovisual stimuli, such that spiking activity was greatest during trials when the visual stimulus preceded the auditory by 20-40 ms. Ultimately, given that our behavioral and electrophysiological results were consistent with studies conducted on human participants and previous recordings made in multisensory brain regions of different species, we suggest that the rat represents an effective model for studying audiovisual temporal synchrony at both the neuronal and perceptual level.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Reviewed by: Fuat Balci, Koç University, Turkey; Shuzo Sakata, University of Strathclyde, UK Edited by: Valérie Doyère, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France
ISSN:	1662-5153 1662-5153
DOI:	10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00246