Optimal integration of stimuli in different sensory modalities is critical for the unified and coherent perception of the world. The temporal coincidence of stimuli provides an important cue for determining which stimuli belong together. Temporal recalibration is an adaptive phenomenon that helps to perceptually realign corresponding inputs between the senses. Previous invasive research in non-human primates suggests that inter-regional dynamics of rhythmic brain activity are critically involved in multisensory temporal processing. Moreover, autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a deficit in perceptual integration and altered rhythmic brain activation. I therefore hypothesize that 1) rhythmic activity within and between multisensory brain regions reflects temporal recalibration between the senses; and 2) that in individuals with autism these local and inter-regional patterns of rhythmic neural activity depart from those measured in healthy controls. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) measures non-invasively neural activity at the millisecond scale and is sensitive to the rhythmic dynamics within and between brain regions. I will identify manifestations of temporal recalibration by mapping the orchestration of brain rhythmic activity at multiple frequencies. I will compare neuronal effects of temporal recalibration in healthy controls and individuals with autism. With this approach, I anticipate we will be able to elucidate how temporal recalibration between the senses is achieved in the healthy brain. Comparison to the autistic cohort will identify related changes in brain rhythmic activity associated with suboptimal perceptual integration in autism. This project will further our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying multisensory temporal integration and may contribute to the poorly understood pathogenesis of autism.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
