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Zusammenfassung:
Once considered to be components of the same structure, the claustrum and the overlying insula cortex are intricately connected to several sensory areas and are therefore presumptive sites for multisensory integration. We test this hypothesis using a combination of visual and acoustical stimuli while recording from the claustrum and insula cortex of awake non-human primates.
Our study revealed that the claustrum was parcellated into sensory zones, one of which was predominantly acoustical while another was predominantly visual. However, within each of these zones, we were not only able to identify neurons that responded to the other modality, but also identify some neurons that were multimodal. Within the posterior insula cortex, on the other hand, sensory representations were preferentially acoustical in nature, and although a third of the neurons were in fact modulated by visual activity, only a fraction of these were actually responsive to both modalities. Using natural sounds we uncovered an insular preference towards conspecific vocalizations wherein neurons here could distinguish between vocalizations themselves, based on the sound’s temporal character.
Our findings suggest that although various sensory modalities may converge onto a structure, modality dominant zones can still exist within, with multisensory neurons intermingled among them.
