A multimodal approach for investigating multisensory integration in cognitive decline condition

Multisensory integration is a fundamental process performed by the brain that enables the combination of cues from different sensory modalities to enhance perception and behavior. This master thesis project investigates how multisensory integration evolves in conditions of cognitive decline, aiming to assess its reliability as a potential biomarker for Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment. To explore this, a spatial localization task was developed using Virtual Reality to test whether this environment could enhance the integration between senses and result in better performances. Data collected with the mentioned task are combined with an existing dataset of cognitively impaired individuals to validate a neurocomputational model. The primary goal of the model is to simulate the impaired condition and provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying multisensory integration deficits during cognitive decline.