Abstract David Alais and Jean Vroomen reflect on the field of multisensory perception and give their views on a range of topics, including how they were first attracted to the field and which researchers were prominent early influences. They also consider important findings such as Bayesian cue combination and foundational neurophysiological work showing multisensory integration in the superior colliculus which shaped the field as a whole and influenced their own work on multisensory perception and illusions. The importance of separating response bias from perceptual sensitivity is noted as a critical point in understanding behavioural experiments and neural oscillations are put forward as a key element in understanding the mechanisms of multisensory perception. Looking to the future, both agree that technological advances such as wearable sensors and virtual/augmented reality offer an opportunity to take multisensory research out of the lab and into the real-world environments for which our senses evolved and optimised.
Abstract This viewpoint interview features Adele Diederich, Thomas Otto and Cesare Parise discussing multisensory decision-making from the perspectives of mathematical psychology, psychophysics, and computational modelling. They reflect on both current theories and their personal paths into the field, including key influences and scientific traditions that shaped their thinking. The conversation revisits major developments in multisensory research, from early work on intersensory facilitation and redundant-signals paradigms to later advances in race models, diffusion models, Bayesian approaches, and more recent stimulus-computable mechanistic accounts. The authors highlight how these frameworks have shaped the field, ongoing controversies, and emerging trends. A shared theme is the need for conceptual clarity, rigorous methods, and integration across behavioural, neural and computational levels, alongside support for open-science practices. At the same time, differences remain in the emphasis placed on various modelling approaches, for example, in the relative weight given to race models, dynamic decision models, optimal frameworks, and mechanistic accounts of multisensory processing. Overall, the interview presents multisensory decision-making as a dynamic and evolving field, whose future will depend on both new tools and continued critical evaluation of its theories and methods.
Abstract This interview brings together perspectives from the authors on the origins, evolution, and future directions of multisensory neuroscience. The authors reflect on their early motivations, tracing the field’s development from studies of intersensory attention and early cortical integration to contemporary investigations of naturalistic audiovisual speech. They highlight landmark empirical and methodological advances — including high-density EEG, BOLD fMRI, intracranial recordings, and analyses of continuous stimuli — that overturned the traditional view of multisensory integration as a strictly higher-order process. Central themes include the role of the superior temporal sulcus in audiovisual speech, the hierarchical and temporally dynamic nature of multisensory binding, and ongoing debates concerning the mechanisms underlying neural responses to naturalistic stimuli, such as evoked-response versus oscillatory-entrainment accounts. The interview also addresses current controversies, including interpretations of redundant signals effects and the neural organization of language, as well as concerns about underpowered studies and reproducibility. The authors strongly advocate open science practices, emphasizing data and code sharing while acknowledging structural challenges. Looking ahead, they discuss the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, invasive human recordings, genetic models, and translational applications, particularly for neurodevelopmental disorders. Collectively, this dialogue situates multisensory integration as a rapidly advancing field bridging sensory processing, cognition, and clinical relevance.
Abstract In this viewpoint article, Florencia Iacaruso, Benjamin A. Rowland and Barry E. Stein examine the principles and open questions surrounding single-neuron dynamics in multisensory integration. Drawing on decades of work, they emphasize that individual neurons, particularly in structures such as the superior colliculus, exhibit rapid, nonlinear interactions when combining inputs from different sensory modalities. These dynamics are shaped by experience, circuit architecture, and the precise timing and balance of converging inputs, rather than reflecting fixed or purely feedforward processes. The authors highlight that single-neuron responses provide a critical bridge between cellular mechanisms and behaviour, revealing how multisensory signals are integrated in real time to support detection, localization, and decision-making. Recent methodological advances, including high-density electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and computational modelling, are enabling more detailed characterization of these dynamics within distributed and context-dependent networks. Key open questions focus on the origin of multisensory effects observed at the single-neuron level, including whether they arise from local circuit computations or reflect inputs inherited from broader network interactions. The variability of neuronal responses across contexts, such as changes in attention, behavioural state, and task demands, further complicates the identification of general principles. Looking forward, the authors argue that integrating large-scale functional data with anatomical connectivity and artificial intelligence approaches will be essential for linking single-neuron dynamics to system-level function. They conclude that understanding multisensory processing at the level of individual neurons remains central to explaining how the brain constructs coherent perception from diverse sensory inputs.
Abstract Since the 1950s, research has shown that various aspects of of food and beverage consumption can be influenced by the auditory environment in which the consumer happens to find themselves. Indeed, specific auditory stimuli have been used deliberately in the retail, food, and advertising industries to influence consumers’ food/drink behaviour and perception. This narrative historical review summarizes what is currently known concerning the influence of auditory stimuli on people’s eating and drinking behaviours. The auditory stimuli evaluated include background noise and music, soundscapes, mastication sounds, cooking and other food preparation sounds, food-packaging sounds, and even sound symbolism in the case of food and/or drink product names. The review concludes with a discussion on the mechanisms (including mediators and moderators) underpinning the influence of auditory stimuli on people’s consumption behaviour. According to the research outlined here, auditory stimuli have the potential to impact the consumer’s food and drink behaviours, including their food or drink intake, consumption rate, and choice.
