Department of Psychology and Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Cesena, University of Bologna, Italy

Supervisors: E. Ladavas, C. Bertini

One of the primary problems in cognitive neuroscience relates to understanding information acquisition and utilization. Put simply, the brain is able to synthesize information from multiple sensory systems to enhance the information it acquires about external events and then to plan adaptive responses that are appropriate for the circumstance. How does it do that? One of the principal issues of exploration in this institution is the attempt to understand this process of “multisensory integration,” a process through which the brain both knits together information from different channels and amplifies their minimal signals. This enhances the salience of important events and reduces their ambiguity so that proper decisions can be made. One practical objective has been to understand how context and the needs of the organism influence this process From an operational perspective studies necessitate the use of multidisciplinary physiological, behavioral and perceptual approaches in humans. This research group has also a longstanding interest in how the brain develops the capacity to synthesize information from different senses and, specifically, how early sensory experiences craft the circuits underlying multisensory integration to ensure that the resultant product is well adapted to the environment.