Wenhao Zhang, PhD.
Assistant Professor & Lupe Murchison Foundation Scholar in Medical Research
Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics & Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Towards a theory of causal inference in multisensory integration of the brain

Our brain is bombarded with sensory inputs from multiple sensory modalities that can be combined to form a perception of the world. For example, our brain merges the visual input of a person’s face and the auditory input of their voice to form a vivid and cohesive perception. A fundamental challenge is integrating sensory inputs from the same source while segregating inputs from different sources. Nevertheless, the brain doesn’t know the input sources and needs to infer the underlying causal relations of sensory inputs, which is referred as causal inference. Causal inference in multisensory integration is a critical cognitive function but whose neural circuit mechanism is poorly understood. In my talk, I will introduce my path in pursuing a theory of causal inference in multisensory integration. Based on congruent and opposite neurons discovered in multisensory areas (visual and vestibular), I have constructed a biologically plausible neural circuit model to explain the computational, algorithmic mechanism of neural circuits in implementing multisensory integration as well as causal inference. And the neural circuit models also yield some testable experimental predictions.

Faculty host: Chris Fetsch