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Flexibility to multisensory contestual information in people with sensory disabilities.

Project description

Flexibility of multisensory contestual information in people with sensory disabilities

Our brain must continually adapt to contextual multisensory information to maintain a coherent representation of the world. This system can modify itself to gain greater benefits based on environmental conditions. However, when the system does not develop in a typical manner, as in sensory disabilities, it may be less flexible. The EU-funded FLEX-U project will combine psychophysics and statistical/modeling analysis to investigate the flexibility/rigidity of the sensory processing mechanisms in people with and without sensory disabilities. The project will improve our understanding of sensory flexibility to contextual information in typical. Moreover, it will unravel the influence of contextual information on the flexibility of perceptual systems in sensory disabilities and exploit it to develop rehabilitative training methods.

Objective

One of the brain's main challenges is decoding and integrating information from different sensory modalities to create a coherent perceptual representation. In this perspective, the study of people with sensory disabilities can be considered a model to investigate the mechanisms behind the ability to modify and adapt behavior to external stimuli. When a system is flexible, it can modify itself to gain greater benefit based on environmental conditions. However, when the system does not develop in a typical manner, as in sensory disabilities, it may be less flexible, causing problems beyond perceptual processing and affect aspects of everyday life. Starting with this assumption, FLEX-U unites a novel combination between psychophysics and statistical/modeling analysis to investigate the flexibility/rigidity of the sensory processing mechanisms in people with and without sensory disabilities. The project's main aim will be divided into three specific objectives (SOs). SO1: Understanding of sensory flexibility in the typical individuals; SO2: Modelling of sensory inputs to predict flexible behavior; SO3: Understanding the influence of contextual information on the flexibility of sensory systems in people with sensory impairment and develop rehabilitative training. These objectives will be achieved thanks to the transfer of knowledge between the partner (UNSYD) and the host (IIT) institutions involving advanced expertise in experimental psychology, behavioral modelling, rehabilitative training, as well as solid scientific and clinical collaboration networks. The outcomes of FLUX-U will advance, not only, our knowledge about human perception and multisensory processing at the scientific level, but will help to develop a new rehabilitative training based on multisensory inputs that on a wider scale could improve confidence and quality of life in people with sensory impairments.

Fields of science

Coordinator

FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA
Net EU contribution
€ 263 392,32
Address
VIA MOREGO 30
16163 Genova
Italy

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Region
Nord-Ovest Liguria Genova
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
No data

Partners (1)