Multisensory integration is not an innate capability of the superior colliculi neurons, and is something that develops gradually as the organism matures. Because a large majority of the neurons in the superior colliculus are visually responsive, Wallace et al.1 hypothesized that visual stimuli was necessary for the development of multisensory integration. To test this claim, he and his colleagues reared 9 cats in complete darkness and tested each neuron in the superior colliculus for responses to visual, auditory and somatosensory stimuli. It was found that, although sensory experience is not necessary for the superior colliculi neurons to become responsive to sensory stimuli, it is essential if they are to develop the capacity to synthesize information from different sensory modalities.
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The brain is a plastic organ capable of compensating and forming new circuits in response to injury and/or disease. There is growing evidence that suggests that sensory deprivation is associated with sudden crossmodal neuroplastic changes in the brain2. For example, people who are blind can localize sound better than those that can see. Petrus et al.3 tested if temporary blindness can improve auditory abilities. They did this by placing adult mice with normal vision in complete darkness for six to eight days. After the adult mice were returned to a normal light-dark cycle, vision remained the same, but also, hearing improved. For the mice placed in darkness, the tested neurons fired faster in response to auditory stimuli and could discriminate sounds better. These mice also developed more synapses between the thalamus and the auditory cortex. The cortex is an advanced sensory processing centre. The fact that neural connections developed in this area suggests that it might
The brain is a plastic organ capable of compensating and forming new circuits in response to injury and/or disease. There is growing evidence that suggests that sensory deprivation is associated with sudden crossmodal neuroplastic changes in the brain2. For example, people who are blind can localize sound better than those that can see. Petrus et al.3 tested if temporary blindness can improve auditory abilities. They did this by placing adult mice with normal vision in complete darkness for six to eight days. After the adult mice were returned to a normal light-dark cycle, vision remained the same, but also, hearing improved. For the mice placed in darkness, the tested neurons fired faster in response to auditory stimuli and could discriminate sounds better. These mice also developed more synapses between the thalamus and the auditory cortex. The cortex is an advanced sensory processing centre. The fact that neural connections developed in this area suggests that it might