Multisensory Integration and Decision Making

How does our brain form a percept of the world? More specifically: what are the cellular and network mechanisms by which information from different senses is combined into neural activity that represents a unified percept of the world? To answer this question we study how cortical neurons process information from different sensory modalities and how their activity correlates with the perceptual decisions of the organism.

Our research line has 2 characteristics that contribute to its uniqueness:

1. Whereas most research on perceptual decision making (including my previous work, see Lorteije et al. Neuron 2015) focuses on decisions within a single sensory modality, we investigate multisensory decisions.
2. We study multisensory decisions at the cellular level, and are one of the few labs globally that aim for whole-cell recordings combined with 2-photon imaging and optogenetic techniques in awake and even task-performing rodents. Whole-cell measurements allow us to measure not only the output of the neurons (spikes), but also the input the neurons receive by way of excitatory (EPSP) and inhibitory (IPSP) postsynaptic potentials. Furthermore we gain valuable information on how intrinsic properties of neurons contribute to their function in multisensory processing and decision making. Post-hoc histology further allows us to correlate cell morphology to function.

Collaborators on this project:

• Prof. Dr. Cyriel Pennartz
• Ing. Laura van Mourik-Donga (technician)
• Tobio Aarts (master student)
• Ulf Schnabel (PhD student NIN)

Contact info (for internships):

j.a.m.lorteije@uva.nl

Key Publications:

• Lorteije, J.A.M., Zylberberg, A., Ouellette, B.G., De Zeeuw, C.I., Sigman, M., and Roelfsema, P.R. (2015). The Formation of Hierarchical Decisions in the Visual Cortex. Neuron 87, 1344–1356.
• Klink P.C., Jentgens P., Lorteije J.A.M. (2014) Priority maps explain the roles of value, attention and salience in goal-oriented behavior. J. Neurosci. 34, 13867–13869.
• Self M.W.*, Lorteije J.A.M.*, Vangeneugden J.*, van Beest E., Grigore M.E., Levelt, C.J., Heimel J.A., and Roelfsema P.R. (2014) Orientation-tuned surround suppression in mouse visual cortex. J. Neurosci. 34(28)9290-304.
• van der Heijden M.*, Lorteije J.A.M.*, Plauska A., Roberts M.T., Golding N.L., Borst J.G. (2013) Directional hearing by linear summation of binaural inputs at the medial superior olive. Neuron 78:936-48.
• Lorteije J.A.M., Barraclough N.E., Jellema T., Raemaekers M., Duijnhouwer J., Xiao D., Oram M.W., Lankheet M.J., Perrett D.I., van Wezel R.J. (2011) Implied motion activation in cortical area MT can be explained by visual low-level features. J Cogn Neurosci 23:1533-48.
• Lorteije J.A.M., Borst J.G. (2011) Contribution of the mouse calyx of Held synapse to tone adaptation. Eur J Neurosci 33:251-8.
• Jellema T., Lorteije J.A.M., van Rijn S., van t' Wout M., de Haan E., van Engeland H., Kemner C. (2009) Involuntary interpretation of social cues is compromised in autism spectrum disorders. Autism Res 2:192-204.
• Lorteije J.A.M.*, Rusu S.I.*, Kushmerick C., Borst J.G. (2009) Reliability and precision of the mouse calyx of Held synapse. J Neurosci 29:13770-84.

* shared first authors