Investigation on learning mechanisms for multisensory integration and their neural mechanisms(Fostering Joint International Research)

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15KK0092
• Research Category: Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Fostering Joint International Research)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: Kumamoto University
• Principal Investigator: Teramoto Wataru 熊本大学, 大学院人文社会科学研究部(文), 教授 (30509089)
• Project Period (FY): 2016 – 2019
• Keywords: 実験心理学 / 異種感覚統合 / 異種感覚間対応学習

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The brain has to know which sensory signals originate from the same external event in order to appropriately integrate information from different sensory modalities and obtain the stable representations of the surrounding environment. While spatiotemporal consistency is one cue to do this task, a prior knowledge acquired from everyday sensory experience (i.e. the mapping between different sensory signals) could be another important cue. Using techniques from psychophysics and neuroscience, this study demonstrated which and how brain areas were involved in this type of mapping between the auditory and visual signals. Furthermore, this study also psychophysically showed how the acquired audiovisual mapping was maintained or updated through unrecognizable sensory experiences.

Free Research Field

知覚心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

感覚入力どうしの統合の仕方やルールの獲得過程に焦点を当てた研究は多数あるが，感覚間の対応づけルールの獲得過程やその神経基盤，獲得したルールの更新過程は未だ十分に解明されていない。本研究では，自らの先行研究によって得た対応づけルールの獲得過程に関する知見を基盤にして，その神経基盤と更新過程を示したものであり，異種感覚間統合の一般原理の解明をいっそう推し進めたものである。また，応用的には，異種感覚情報を利用した高臨場感マルチメディア技術や感覚代行技術の開発を大幅に加速できるものである。