Contribution of displacement, duration, and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeys

Abstract Motion perception is a key aspect of sensory processing that enables successful interaction with the environment. While visual motion perception has been extensively studied, little is known about the determinants of auditory motion perception. Our study explores how the perception of audit...

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Main Authors: Adriana M. Schoenhaut, Ramnarayan Ramachandran, Mark T. Wallace
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12642-y
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author Adriana M. Schoenhaut
Ramnarayan Ramachandran
Mark T. Wallace
author_facet Adriana M. Schoenhaut
Ramnarayan Ramachandran
Mark T. Wallace
author_sort Adriana M. Schoenhaut
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Motion perception is a key aspect of sensory processing that enables successful interaction with the environment. While visual motion perception has been extensively studied, little is known about the determinants of auditory motion perception. Our study explores how the perception of auditory motion direction changes with manipulations of low-level stimulus parameters in nonhuman primates (NHPs). Macaque monkeys were trained to perform a 2-AFC task in which they judged the direction of noisy auditory motion stimuli. We systematically manipulated stimulus duration, velocity, and displacement to evaluate their respective influence on motion sensitivity. Displacement had the greatest impact, while the relative influence of duration versus velocity depended upon the duration of the stimulus. These findings suggest that auditory motion direction is most likely processed by a snapshot mechanism, in which stimulus velocity is inferred by sequential snapshots of auditory stimulus location, rather than by velocity-selective motion detectors similar to those found in the visual system. To our knowledge, this study is the first to characterize the influence of low-level stimulus parameters on auditory motion perception in awake, behaving NHPs, and forms the basis for future neurophysiological investigations.
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spelling doaj-art-cf7e7a0a23b34f749b395dc6a07bb4b22025-08-20T03:04:39ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111410.1038/s41598-025-12642-yContribution of displacement, duration, and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeysAdriana M. Schoenhaut0Ramnarayan Ramachandran1Mark T. Wallace2Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt UniversityDepartment of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical CenterDepartment of Psychology, Vanderbilt UniversityAbstract Motion perception is a key aspect of sensory processing that enables successful interaction with the environment. While visual motion perception has been extensively studied, little is known about the determinants of auditory motion perception. Our study explores how the perception of auditory motion direction changes with manipulations of low-level stimulus parameters in nonhuman primates (NHPs). Macaque monkeys were trained to perform a 2-AFC task in which they judged the direction of noisy auditory motion stimuli. We systematically manipulated stimulus duration, velocity, and displacement to evaluate their respective influence on motion sensitivity. Displacement had the greatest impact, while the relative influence of duration versus velocity depended upon the duration of the stimulus. These findings suggest that auditory motion direction is most likely processed by a snapshot mechanism, in which stimulus velocity is inferred by sequential snapshots of auditory stimulus location, rather than by velocity-selective motion detectors similar to those found in the visual system. To our knowledge, this study is the first to characterize the influence of low-level stimulus parameters on auditory motion perception in awake, behaving NHPs, and forms the basis for future neurophysiological investigations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12642-y
spellingShingle Adriana M. Schoenhaut
Ramnarayan Ramachandran
Mark T. Wallace
Contribution of displacement, duration, and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeys
Scientific Reports
title Contribution of displacement, duration, and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeys
title_full Contribution of displacement, duration, and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeys
title_fullStr Contribution of displacement, duration, and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeys
title_full_unstemmed Contribution of displacement, duration, and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeys
title_short Contribution of displacement, duration, and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeys
title_sort contribution of displacement duration and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeys
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12642-y
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