Cited by 459Multisensory perception and integrationVisual perception and processing mechanismsMotor Control and Adaptation

Neural correlates of reliability-based cue weighting during multisensory integration

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Fetsch, Christopher R, Pouget, Alexandre, DeAngelis, Gregory C, Angelaki, Dora E·2012·Nature Neuroscience

Abstract

Integration of multiple sensory cues is essential for precise and accurate perception and behavioral performance, yet the reliability of sensory signals can vary across modalities and viewing conditions. Human observers typically employ the optimal strategy of weighting each cue in proportion to its reliability, but the neural basis of this computation remains poorly understood. We trained monkeys to perform a heading discrimination task from visual and vestibular cues, varying cue reliability randomly. The monkeys appropriately placed greater weight on the more reliable cue, and population decoding of neural responses in the dorsal medial superior temporal area closely predicted behavioral cue weighting, including modest deviations from optimality. We found that the mathematical combination of visual and vestibular inputs by single neurons is generally consistent with recent theories of optimal probabilistic computation in neural circuits. These results provide direct evidence for a neural mechanism mediating a simple and widespread form of statistical inference.

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  • Congruent neurons combine vestibular-visual signals in a way that assumes a common cause.

    “Congruent neurons appear to combine vestibular–visual signals in a way that assumes a common cause, and their activity is highly predictive of behavioral choice on vestibular–visual combination tasks (8–10).”

    From How multisensory neurons solve causal inference. (2021) · cites this paper as [9]

    The Results section reports that congruent MSTd neurons gain heading sensitivity when visual and vestibular cues are combined. The Online Methods say the cue conflict was kept small enough to discourage inference of separate causes, but the paper does not establish that the neurons themselves assume a common cause. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The network exhibits reliability-based cue weighting.

    “Further, the network exhibits key “behavioural” characteristics observed in human and primate studies, such as reliability-based cue weighting (9, 17) and self-motion estimation biased by causal inference (18).”

    From How multisensory neurons solve causal inference. (2021) · cites this paper as [9]

  • Congruent neuron activity is highly predictive of behavioral choice on vestibular-visual combination tasks.

    “Congruent neurons appear to combine vestibular–visual signals in a way that assumes a common cause, and their activity is highly predictive of behavioral choice on vestibular–visual combination tasks (8–10).”

    From How multisensory neurons solve causal inference. (2021) · cites this paper as [9]

  • Vestibular and visual signals are combined in macaque MSTd.

    “Neurophysiological work in macaque monkeys indicates that vestibular and visual signals are combined on the dorsal subdivision of the medial superior temporal area (MSTd) (6–11) and in the ventral intraparietal area (VIP) (12, 13).”

    From How multisensory neurons solve causal inference. (2021) · cites this paper as [9]

  • The reweighting of cues according to their reliability has been observed in individual MSTd neurons.

    “The reweighting of cues according to their reliability has been observed in individual MSTd neurons (SI Appendix, Fig. S2 A and B, Top) (9); the neuronal tuning curves shift up or down depending on both the cue reliability and direction of conflict.”

    From How multisensory neurons solve causal inference. (2021) · cites this paper as [9]

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  1. [22]Dayan P Abbott LF Theoretical Neuroscience MIT press Cambridge, MA 2001

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Authors
Fetsch, C. R., Pouget, A., DeAngelis, G. C., & Angelaki, D. E.
Affiliations
  • Washington University in St. Louis (US)
  • University of Geneva (CH)
  • Baylor College of Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Fetsch, Christopher R
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Published
2011-11-20
Volume
15
Issue
1
Pages
146-154
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
OpenAlex
W2072262638
Cited by
459
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 26 · 2025: 47 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 48 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 15
FWCI
27.62
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Eye Institute (5-T32-EY13360-07, R01EY019087, EY-019087, EY-016178, T32EY013360, R01EY016178)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
Keywords
multisensory integration, cue weighting, cue reliability, visual-vestibular integration, population decoding, statistical inference, cue conflict, non-human primates
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Conflict, Psychological, Cues, Macaca mulatta, Models, Neurological, Motion Perception, Neurons, Proprioception, Vestibule, Labyrinth, Visual Perception, Head Movements

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