Multisensory-based approach to the recovery of unisensory deficit.

This chapter reviews several highly convergent behavioral findings that provide strong evidence for the existence of multimodal integration systems subserving spatial representation in humans. These systems generally function through the multisensory coding of visuoauditory and visuotactile events but vary in their specific functional and anatomical characteristics. The chapter will also consider the adaptive advantages of multisensory integration systems; these systems might modulate the level of activation in cortical areas in short- and long-term ways, thereby providing a mechanism for permanent recovery from sensory and spatial deficits.