fMRI brown bag: December 8, 2023

Francesca Setti

Postdoc, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy

Characterizing the functional properties of human (multi)sensory areas using naturalistic conditions 

Abstract: The processing of multisensory information is based upon the capacity of brain regions, such as the superior temporal cortex, to combine information across modalities. However, it is still unclear whether the representation of coherent auditory and visual events does require any prior audiovisual experience to develop and function. Here, we measured brain synchronization during the presentation of an audiovisual, audio-only or video-only versions of the same narrative in distinct groups of sensory-deprived (congenitally blind and deaf) and typically-developed individuals. Intersubject correlation analysis revealed that the superior temporal cortex was synchronized across auditory and visual conditions, even in sensory-deprived individuals who lack any audiovisual experience. This synchronization was primarily mediated by low-level perceptual features, and relied on a similar modality-independent topographical organization of slow temporal dynamics. The human superior temporal cortex is naturally endowed with a functional scaffolding to yield a common representation across multisensory events.