Iacaruso lab Neuronal Circuits and Behaviour Laboratory
: Multisensory integration
Integration of visual and auditory information
Our different sensory organs are capable of unique and precise information about the external world. Specific brain areas have the challenge of integrating these different sources of information to aid behavioural responses. We are currently investigating how visual and auditory information are combined in the visual cortex and in the superior colliculus to support the detection and localization of targets. The use of two-photon imaging of genetically encoded calcium indicators, with custom built microscopes, allows us to study the activity of hundreds of neurons simultaneously while animals are presented with audio and visual stimuli.
Example neuronal recordings in mice expressing the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP6f during audio-visual stimulation. Each dot in the grey scale image corresponds to the nucleus of a single neuron. Coloured traces show example responses from 11 neurons to audio visual stimulation.
