Abstract
Sound can alter visual perception. This has been recently demonstrated
by a strong illusion in which a single flash is perceived as multiple
flashes when accompanied by multiple brief sounds. While psychophysical
findings on this sound-induced flash illusion indicate that the modulations
of visual percept by sound occur at a perceptual processing level,
it remains unclear at what level of perceptual processing these interactions
occur and what mechanisms mediate them. Here we investigated these
questions using MEG. We found modulation of activity in occipital
and parietal scalp locations, when comparing illusion trials with
visual-alone and auditory-alone trials. This modulation occurred
as early as 35–65 ms from the onset of the visual stimulus. Activity
was also modulated in the occipital and parietal areas as well as
anterior areas at a later (not, vert, similar150 ms post-stimulus)
onset. No significant interactions were observed in occipital and
parietal areas in trials in which illusion was not perceived. These
results indicate that the auditory alteration of visual perception
as reflected by the illusion is associated with modulation of activity
in visual cortex. The early onset of these modulations suggests that
a feed-forward or lateral circuitry is at least partially involved
in these interactions.
Users
Please
log in to take part in the discussion (add own reviews or comments).