On the neuronal basis for multisensory convergence: a brief overview

Abstract

For multisensory stimulation to effect perceptual and behavioral responses, information from the different sensory systems must converge on individual neurons. A great deal is already known regarding processing within the separate sensory systems, as well as about many of the integrative and perceptual/behavioral effects of multisensory processing. However, virtually nothing is known about the functional architecture that underlies multisensory convergence even though it is an integral step to this processing sequence. This paper seeks to summarize the findings pertinent to multisensory convergence, and to initiate the identification of specific convergence patterns that may underlie different multisensory perceptual and behavioral effects.