Data and code from: Multisensory integration enhances audiovisual responses in the Mauthner cell

Multisensory integration combines information from multiple sensory modalities to create a coherent perception of the world. In contexts where sensory information is limited or equivocal, it also allows animals to integrate individually ambiguous stimuli into a clearer or more accurate percept and, thus, react with a more adaptive behavioral response. Although responses to multisensory stimuli have been described at the neuronal and behavioral levels, a causal or direct link between these two is still missing. In this study, we studied the integration of audiovisual inputs in the Mauthner cell, a command neuron necessary and sufficient to trigger a stereotypical escape response in fish. We performed intracellular recordings in adult goldfish while presenting a diverse range of stimuli to determine which stimulus properties affect their integration. Our results show that stimulus modality, intensity, temporal structure, and interstimulus delay affect input summation. Mechanistically, we ..., M-cell intracellular responses to tectal and acoustic stimuli were studied in vivo using standard surgical and electrophysiological recording techniques (Preuss and Faber, 2003; Preuss et al., 2006; Medan et al., 2017). To initiate anesthesia, fish were immersed in 1 liter of ice water with 40 mg/l of the general anesthetic tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222, Western Chemical, Ferndale, WA, USA), until the fish ceased to swim, lost equilibrium and were unresponsive to a pinch on the tail (typically 10–15 min). They were next treated with 20% benzocaine gel (Ultradent, South Jordan, UT, USA) at incision sites and pin-holding points 5 min prior to surgical procedures. Fish were stabilized in the recording chamber by two pins, one on each side of the head, and ventilated through the mouth with recirculating, aerated saline at 18°C (saline [g/l]: sodium chloride 7.25, potassium chloride 0.38, monosodium phosphate monobasic 0.39, magnesium sulfate 0.11, Hepes 4.77; calcium chloride 0.24; dext..., , # Data and code from: \"Multisensory integration enhances audiovisual responses in the Mauthner cell\"

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rxwdbrvkj](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rxwdbrvkj)

## Overview

This repository contains data and code associated with the manuscript *\"Multisensory Integration Enhances Audiovisual Responses in the Mauthner Cell.\"* The data and scripts provided here aim to ensure reproducibility and reanalysis of the results presented in the manuscript. For further details, refer to the full manuscript at: [https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.99424.3](https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.99424.3)

## Dataset Description

### Experimental Context

We performed intracellular recordings of the goldfish Mauthner-cell to investigate audiovisual integration at the cellular level. We focused on measuring the peak and area of the responses in a 12-ms window after the stimulus presentation. The stimuli included auditory pips and stimulation trains in the optic tectum presented separately (un...