Cited by 316Multisensory perception and integrationVisual perception and processing mechanismsVestibular and auditory disorders

Visual and Nonvisual Contributions to Three-Dimensional Heading Selectivity in the Medial Superior Temporal Area

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Gu, Yong, Watkins, Paul V., Angelaki, Dora E., DeAngelis, Gregory C.·2006·The Journal of Neuroscience

Abstract

Robust perception of self-motion requires integration of visual motion signals with nonvisual cues. Neurons in the dorsal subdivision of the medial superior temporal area (MSTd) may be involved in this sensory integration, because they respond selectively to global patterns of optic flow, as well as translational motion in darkness. Using a virtual-reality system, we have characterized the three-dimensional (3D) tuning of MSTd neurons to heading directions defined by optic flow alone, inertial motion alone, and congruent combinations of the two cues. Among 255 MSTd neurons, 98% exhibited significant 3D heading tuning in response to optic flow, whereas 64% were selective for heading defined by inertial motion. Heading preferences for visual and inertial motion could be aligned but were just as frequently opposite. Moreover, heading selectivity in response to congruent visual/vestibular stimulation was typically weaker than that obtained using optic flow alone, and heading preferences under congruent stimulation were dominated by the visual input. Thus, MSTd neurons generally did not integrate visual and nonvisual cues to achieve better heading selectivity. A simple two-layer neural network, which received eye-centered visual inputs and head-centered vestibular inputs, reproduced the major features of the MSTd data. The network was trained to compute heading in a head-centered reference frame under all stimulus conditions, such that it performed a selective reference-frame transformation of visual, but not vestibular, signals. The similarity between network hidden units and MSTd neurons suggests that MSTd may be an early stage of sensory convergence involved in transforming optic flow information into a (head-centered) reference frame that facilitates integration with vestibular signals.

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Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.2356-05.2006

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  • Only units with strong tuning (fitted amplitude > median across all units) were included in the histogram showing the number of units as a function of the difference between preferred visual and vestibular direction, consistent with previous work (6).

    “Consistent with previous work (6), only units which were considered to have strong tuning (fitted amplitude [α] parameter > median across all units) were included in the histogram showing the number of units as a function of the difference between preferred visual and vestibular direction (xpref).”

    From How multisensory neurons solve causal inference. (2021) · cites this paper as [6]

    Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 1 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

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    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • MSTd and VIP contain opposite neurons tuned to opposite-direction vestibular and visual motion.

    “Studies of vestibular–visual integration have identified two types of multisensory neurons with similar prevalence in MSTd and VIP; those that are tuned to vestibular and visual motion in the same direction (congruent neurons) and those that prefer opposite directions (opposite neurons) (6, 8, 11).”

    From How multisensory neurons solve causal inference. (2021) · cites this paper as [6]

    The Results section describes MSTd neurons whose preferred vestibular heading was nearly opposite to their preferred visual heading, and the Abstract says opposite preferences were as frequent as aligned ones in MSTd. This paper does not establish that VIP contains such neurons or that the two types have similar prevalence in VIP; those parts of the citing sentence are not supported by this source. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • MSTd and VIP contain congruent neurons tuned to same-direction vestibular and visual motion.

    “Studies of vestibular–visual integration have identified two types of multisensory neurons with similar prevalence in MSTd and VIP; those that are tuned to vestibular and visual motion in the same direction (congruent neurons) and those that prefer opposite directions (opposite neurons) (6, 8, 11).”

    From How multisensory neurons solve causal inference. (2021) · cites this paper as [6]

    The Results (Fig. 2A) describe a congruent MSTd neuron with similar visual and vestibular heading preferences. The Abstract says aligned and opposite preferences were about equally frequent in MSTd. The paper does not establish these neuron types or their prevalence in VIP, so it cannot support the comparison between MSTd and VIP. (LLM, conf=0.89)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The finding that congruent units primarily determine self-motion estimates is consistent with previous neurophysiological work (6).

    “The former is consistent with previous neurophysiological work (6), whereas the latter provides an explanation for the existence of opposite neurons.”

    From How multisensory neurons solve causal inference. (2021) · cites this paper as [6]

    The Visual/vestibular interactions in MSTd section (page unavailable) reports that larger differences between a neuron's visual and vestibular heading preferences were associated with weaker tuning under combined stimulation. This is consistent with aligned (‘congruent’) neurons having a stronger combined response, but the paper does not show that those neurons primarily determine self-motion estimates. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Asymmetries in sensitivity to different cues are common among macaque MSTd neurons.

    “We found that this was made possible by asymmetries in sensitivity to different cues, which are also common among macaque MSTd neurons (6, 8, 10, 11).”

    From How multisensory neurons solve causal inference. (2021) · cites this paper as [6]

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Authors
Gu, Y., Watkins, P. V., Angelaki, D. E., & DeAngelis, G. C.
Affiliations
Washington University in St. Louis (US)
Venue
The Journal of Neuroscience
Published
2006-01-04
Volume
26
Issue
1
Pages
73-85
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
OpenAlex
W2041650980
Cited by
316
References
76
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 12
FWCI
18.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Eye Institute (R01EY012814, EY-12814, EY-016178, R01EY016178)
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (DC04260., R01DC004260)
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 › Neurology › Vestibular and auditory disorders
Keywords
medial superior temporal area, optical flow, inertial motion, vestibular cues, multisensory integration, self-motion perception, reference frame transformation, neural network model, virtual reality
MeSH terms
Action Potentials, Animals, Eye Movements, Macaca mulatta, Male, Motion Perception, Neurons, Photic Stimulation, Temporal Lobe, Head Movements, Imaging, Three-Dimensional

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