Numerous studies in both monkey and human provided evidence for multisensory integration at high-level and low-level cortical areas. This chapter focuses on the anatomical pathways contributing to multisensory integration. We first describe the anatomical connections existing between different sensory cortical areas, briefly concerning the well-known connections between associative cortical areas and the more recently described connections targeting low-level sensory cortical areas. Then we focus on the description of the connections of the thalamus with different sensory and motor areas and their potential role in multisensory and sensorimotor integration. Finally, we discuss the several possibilities for the brain to integrate the environmental world with the different senses.
Copyright © 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.