Seung-Hee Lee, Ph.D.
October 31(Tue) - October 31(Tue), 2023
10am
반도체관 400126 & ZOOM
Neuro@noon Seminar
Date: 10 a.m. Tue, Oct 31th
Speaker: Seung-Hee Lee, Ph.D. (KAIST)
Title: Neural circuits for sensory processing and integration
Abstract: Brains constantly transform sensory information into appropriate behavioral decisions to survive in a complex world. Most previous studies attempted to comprehend this process by focusing on how animals make perceptual decisions based on sensory information from a single sensory modality. In nature, however, internally and externally generated sensory signals frequently span multiple modalities. Where and how is this multimodal information merged? In such a multisensory environment, how do animals make decisions? In mice making perceptual decisions, we have discovered that the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is critical for integrating audiovisual information. Through auditory-to-visual inhibition, Inhibitory neurons in the parietal cortex play a key role in resolving audiovisual conflict. We further found that auditory inputs to the PPC were gated based on the animal’s behavioral states, allowing animals to make flexible decisions in the face of audiovisual conflicts. Our results demonstrate that audiovisual integration in the PPC is important for animals making optimal decisions in a complex multisensory environment and that the formation of selective inhibition between modalities with opposing contingencies may be a key feature of the PPC that resolves conflicts in multisensory stimuli.