Abstract
Integration of information across the senses is critical for perception and is a common property of neurons in the cerebral cortex, where it is thought to arise primarily from corticocortical connections. Much less is known about the role of subcortical circuits in shaping the multisensory properties of cortical neurons. We show that stimulation of the whiskers causes widespread suppression of sound-evoked activity in mouse primary auditory cortex (A1). This suppression depends on the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), and is implemented through a descending circuit that links S1, via the auditory midbrain, with thalamic neurons that project to A1. Furthermore, a direct pathway from S1 has a facilitatory effect on auditory responses in higher-order thalamic nuclei that project to other brain areas. Crossmodal corticofugal projections to the auditory midbrain and thalamus therefore play a pivotal role in integrating multisensory signals and in enabling communication between different sensory cortical areas.
Highlights
Integration of information across the senses is critical for perception and is a common property of neurons in the cerebral cortex, where it is thought to arise primarily from corticocortical connections
We show that a parallel crossmodal corticothalamic pathway from S1 to the medial sector of the auditory thalamus allows for somatosensory facilitation of auditory responses in thalamic neurons that do not project to the auditory cortex
These results demonstrate that the auditory midbrain and thalamus have essential roles in integrating somatosensory and auditory inputs and in mediating communication between cortical areas that belong to different sensory modalities
Summary
Integration of information across the senses is critical for perception and is a common property of neurons in the cerebral cortex, where it is thought to arise primarily from corticocortical connections. Crossmodal corticofugal projections to the auditory midbrain and thalamus play a pivotal role in integrating multisensory signals and in enabling communication between different sensory cortical areas. Suppression of sound-evoked activity in auditory cortical neurons by somatosensory inputs likely provides a mechanism for prioritizing the processing of tactile cues from nearby objects that require urgent attention. We show that a parallel crossmodal corticothalamic pathway from S1 to the medial sector of the auditory thalamus allows for somatosensory facilitation of auditory responses in thalamic neurons that do not project to the auditory cortex These results demonstrate that the auditory midbrain and thalamus have essential roles in integrating somatosensory and auditory inputs and in mediating communication between cortical areas that belong to different sensory modalities
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