Using the Race Model Inequality to Quantify Behavioral Multisensory Integration Effects

Summary

The current study aims to provide a step-by-step tutorial for calculating the magnitude of multisensory integration effects in an effort to facilitate the production of translational research studies across diverse clinical populations.

Abstract

Multisensory integration research investigates how the brain processes simultaneous sensory information. Research on animals (mainly cats and primates) and humans reveal that intact multisensory integration is crucial for functioning in the real world, including both cognitive and physical activities. Much of the research conducted over the past several decades documents multisensory integration effects using diverse psychophysical, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging techniques. While its presence has been reported, the methods used to determine the magnitude of multisensory integration effects varies and typically faces much criticism. In what follows, limitations of previous behavioral studies are outlined and a step-by-step tutorial for calculating the magnitude of multisensory integration effects using robust probability models is provided.

Introduction

Interactions across sensory systems are essential for everyday functions. While multisensory integration effects are measured across a wide array of populations using assorted sensory combinations and different neuroscience approaches [including but not limited to the psychophysical, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging methodologies]^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}, currently a gol....

Protocol

All participants provided written informed consent to the experimental procedures, which were approved by the institutional review board of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

1. Participant Recruitment, Inclusion Criteria, and Consent

1. Recruit a relatively large cohort of English-speaking individuals who can ambulate independently and are free of significant sensory loss; active neurological or psychiatric disorders that interfere with experimental evaluations; and current/future medical procedures that affect mobility.
2. Ensure that each participant can successfully complete a sensory screening exam, where visual, ....

Results

The purpose of this study was to provide a step-by-step tutorial of a methodical approach to quantify the magnitude of VS integration effects, to foster the publication of new multisensory studies using similar experimental designs and setups (see Figure 1). Screenshots of each step and calculation needed to derive magnitude of multisensory integration effects, as measured by RMI AUC, are delineated above and illustrated in Figures 2-8.

Discussion

The goal of the current study was to detail the process behind the establishment of a robust multisensory integration phenotype. Here, we provide the necessary and critical steps required to acquire multisensory integration effects that can be utilized to predict important cognitive and motor outcomes relying on similar neural circuitry. Our overall objective was to provide a step-by-step tutorial for calculating the magnitude of multisensory integration in an effort to facilitate innovative and novel translational multi.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
stimulus generator	Zenometrics, LLC; Peekskill, NY, USA	n/a	custom-built
Excel	Microsoft Corporation		spreadsheet program
Eprime	Psychology Software Tools (PST)		stimulus presentation software