Laboratory of Spatial Perception

Navigation, which is a fundamental skill essential for survival and ecological adaptation, involves two key aspects: self-motion direction and distance perception. Organisms rely on multiple sensory cues, such as visual, vestibular, and auditory to accurately and precisely achieve robust self-motion perception. The ultimate goal of our research is to reveal neural mechanisms underlying multisensory self-motion perception. To achieve this, we have trained rhesus monkeys in heading direction and distance discrimination tasks, demonstrating their remarkable ability to integrate visual and vestibular cues in a statistically optimal way to enhance perception. Using invasive single-unit recordings, we measure and compare neuronal sensitivity with the animals' perceptual thresholds. We also conducted electrical micro-stimulation and chemical inactivation, to identifiy causal functions, as well as to infer decoding mechanisms that contribute to perception.

Research
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Precise heading perception requires integration of optic flow and vestibular cues, yet the two cues often carry distinct temporal dynamics that may confound cue integration benefit. Here, we varied temporal offset between the two sensory inputs while macaques discriminated headings around straight ahead.