Multisensory interactions regulate feeding behavior in Drosophila

The integration of two or more distinct sensory cues can help animals make more informed decisions about potential food sources, but little is known about how feeding-related multimodal sensory integration happens at the cellular and molecular levels. Here, we show that multimodal sensory integration contributes to a stereotyped feeding behavior in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. Simultaneous olfactory and mechanosensory inputs significantly influence a taste-evoked feeding behavior called the proboscis extension reflex (PER). Olfactory and mechanical information are mediated by antennal Or35a neurons and leg hair plate mechanosensory neurons, respectively. We show that the controlled delivery of three different sensory cues can produce a supra-additive PER via the concurrent stimulation of olfactory, taste, and mechanosensory inputs. We suggest that the fruit fly is a versatile model system to study multisensory integration related to feeding, which also likely exists in vertebrates.

Augmented and Virtual Reality and Its Applications

Augmented reality (AR) overlies manually made materials directly over the real-world materials. This chapter addresses the technological and design frameworks required to create realistic motion tracking environments, realistic audio, 3D graphical interactions, multimodal sensory integration, and user interfaces and games using virtual reality to augmented reality. Similarly, the portfolio required to build a personal VR or AR application is detailed. Virtual and augmented reality industry committed innovative technologies that can be explored in the field of entertainment, education, training, medical and industrial innovation, and the development are explored. Augmented reality (AR) allows the physical world to be enhanced by incorporating digital knowledge in real time created by virtual machine. Few applications that have used augmented and virtual reality in real-world applications are discussed.

Falls in the elderly due to vestibular dysfunction: clinical and pathogenetic aspects

This article discusses the clinical features and causes of falls in the elderly due to vestibular dysfunction. The sociomedical significance of this problem is emphasized. Almost 50% of older people who have suffered repeated falls have a restriction of physical activity because of psychological reasons (fear of repeated falls). The most common cause of falls is balance disorders, and the corresponding complaint in patients with falls is vertigo. The description of peripheral and central forms of vertigo is provided. The clinical and pathogenetic aspects of these disorders are considered. It emphasizes that research conducted in recent years using methods of functional neuroimaging has significantly advanced our understanding of the mechanisms of functioning of the vestibular system, especially its central parts. Based on the results of studies aimed at studying the human connectome in patients with cochleovestibular disorders, the significance of multimodal sensory integration disorders with this pathology is shown.