Supervised Multisensory Calibration Signals Are Evident in VIP But Not MSTd

Multisensory plasticity enables our senses to dynamically adapt to each other and the external environment, a fundamental operation that our brain performs continuously. We searched for neural correlates of adult multisensory plasticity in the dorsal medial superior temporal area (MSTd) and the ventral intraparietal area (VIP) in 2 male rhesus macaques using a paradigm of supervised calibration. We report little plasticity in neural responses in the relatively low-level multisensory cortical area MSTd. In contrast, neural correlates of plasticity are found in higher-level multisensory VIP, an area with strong decision-related activity. Accordingly, we observed systematic shifts of VIP tuning curves, which were reflected in the choicerelated component of the population response. This is the first demonstration of neuronal calibration, together with behavioral calibration, in single sessions. These results lay the foundation for understanding multisensory neural plasticity, applicable broadly to maintaining accuracy for sensorimotor tasks.

Automated summary

This study found that adult rhesus macaques show little neural plasticity in the lower-level multisensory cortical area MSTd, but exhibit neural plasticity in the higher-level multisensory area VIP. The systematic shifts in VIP tuning curves were observed, reflecting the decision-related component of the population response. The results demonstrate neuronal calibration in single sessions, laying the foundation for understanding multisensory neural plasticity in maintaining accuracy for sensorimotor tasks.