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Sharif A, Matsumoto J, Choijiljav C, Badarch A, Setogawa T, Nishijo H, Nishimaru H. Characterization of Ultrasonic Vocalization-Modulated Neurons in Rat Motor Cortex Based on Their Activity Modulation and Axonal Projection to the Periaqueductal Gray. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0452-23.2024. [PMID: 38490744 PMCID: PMC10988357 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0452-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Vocalization, a means of social communication, is prevalent among many species, including humans. Both rats and mice use ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in various social contexts and affective states. The motor cortex is hypothesized to be involved in precisely controlling USVs through connections with critical regions of the brain for vocalization, such as the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG). However, it is unclear how neurons in the motor cortex are modulated during USVs. Moreover, the relationship between USV modulation of neurons and anatomical connections from the motor cortex to PAG is also not clearly understood. In this study, we first characterized the activity patterns of neurons in the primary and secondary motor cortices during emission of USVs in rats using large-scale electrophysiological recordings. We also examined the axonal projection of the motor cortex to PAG using retrograde labeling and identified two clusters of PAG-projecting neurons in the anterior and posterior parts of the motor cortex. The neural activity patterns around the emission of USVs differed between the anterior and posterior regions, which were divided based on the distribution of PAG-projecting neurons in the motor cortex. Furthermore, using optogenetic tagging, we recorded the USV modulation of PAG-projecting neurons in the posterior part of the motor cortex and found that they showed predominantly sustained excitatory responses during USVs. These results contribute to our understanding of the involvement of the motor cortex in the generation of USV at the neuronal and circuit levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aamir Sharif
- Department of System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Jumpei Matsumoto
- Department of System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Chinzorig Choijiljav
- Department of System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Amarbayasgalant Badarch
- Department of System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Setogawa
- Department of System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Hisao Nishijo
- Department of System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
- Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of East Asia, Shimonoseki 751-0807, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nishimaru
- Department of System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
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Hood KE, Hurley LM. Listening to your partner: serotonin increases male responsiveness to female vocal signals in mice. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 17:1304653. [PMID: 38328678 PMCID: PMC10847236 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1304653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The context surrounding vocal communication can have a strong influence on how vocal signals are perceived. The serotonergic system is well-positioned for modulating the perception of communication signals according to context, because serotonergic neurons are responsive to social context, influence social behavior, and innervate auditory regions. Animals like lab mice can be excellent models for exploring how serotonin affects the primary neural systems involved in vocal perception, including within central auditory regions like the inferior colliculus (IC). Within the IC, serotonergic activity reflects not only the presence of a conspecific, but also the valence of a given social interaction. To assess whether serotonin can influence the perception of vocal signals in male mice, we manipulated serotonin systemically with an injection of its precursor 5-HTP, and locally in the IC with an infusion of fenfluramine, a serotonin reuptake blocker. Mice then participated in a behavioral assay in which males suppress their ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in response to the playback of female broadband vocalizations (BBVs), used in defensive aggression by females when interacting with males. Both 5-HTP and fenfluramine increased the suppression of USVs during BBV playback relative to controls. 5-HTP additionally decreased the baseline production of a specific type of USV and male investigation, but neither drug treatment strongly affected male digging or grooming. These findings show that serotonin modifies behavioral responses to vocal signals in mice, in part by acting in auditory brain regions, and suggest that mouse vocal behavior can serve as a useful model for exploring the mechanisms of context in human communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayleigh E. Hood
- Hurley Lab, Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Laura M. Hurley
- Hurley Lab, Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
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Clein RS, Warren MR, Neunuebel JP. Automated behavioral analysis reveals that mice employ a bait-and-switch escape mechanism to de-escalate social conflict. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.12.575321. [PMID: 38260649 PMCID: PMC10802557 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.12.575321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Intraspecies aggression has profound ecological and evolutionary consequences, as recipients can suffer injuries, decreases in fitness, and become outcasts from social groups. Although animals implement diverse strategies to avoid hostile confrontations, the extent to which social influences affect escape tactics is unclear. Here, we used computational and machine-learning approaches to analyze complex behavioral interactions as mixed-sex groups of mice, Mus musculus, freely interacted. Mice displayed a rich repertoire of behaviors marked by changes in behavioral state, aggressive encounters, and mixed-sex interactions. A prominent behavioral sequence consistently occurred after aggressive encounters, where males in submissive states quickly approached and transiently interacted with females immediately before the aggressor engaged with the same female. The behavioral sequences were also associated with substantially fewer physical altercations. Furthermore, the male's behavioral state and the interacting partners could be predicted by distinct features of the behavioral sequence, such as kinematics and the latency to and duration of male-female interactions. More broadly, our work revealed an ethologically relevant escape strategy influenced by the presence of females that may serve as a mechanism for de-escalating social conflict and preventing consequential reductions in fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel S. Clein
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Newark, DE 19713
| | - Megan R. Warren
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Newark, DE 19713
- Emory University, Department of Biology, Atlanta, GA 30322
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Center, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Joshua P. Neunuebel
- University of Delaware, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Newark, DE 19713
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4
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Scott KJ, Speers LJ, Bilkey DK. Utilizing synthetic training data for the supervised classification of rat ultrasonic vocalizations. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 155:306-314. [PMID: 38236810 DOI: 10.1121/10.0024340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Murine rodents generate ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) with frequencies that extend to around 120 kHz. These calls are important in social behaviour, and so their analysis can provide insights into the function of vocal communication, and its dysfunction. The manual identification of USVs, and subsequent classification into different subcategories is time consuming. Although machine learning approaches for identification and classification can lead to enormous efficiency gains, the time and effort required to generate training data can be high, and the accuracy of current approaches can be problematic. Here, we compare the detection and classification performance of a trained human against two convolutional neural networks (CNNs), DeepSqueak (DS) and VocalMat (VM), on audio containing rat USVs. Furthermore, we test the effect of inserting synthetic USVs into the training data of the VM CNN as a means of reducing the workload associated with generating a training set. Our results indicate that VM outperformed the DS CNN on measures of call identification, and classification. Additionally, we found that the augmentation of training data with synthetic images resulted in a further improvement in accuracy, such that it was sufficiently close to human performance to allow for the use of this software in laboratory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Jack Scott
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, William James Building, 275 Leith Walk, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Lucinda J Speers
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, William James Building, 275 Leith Walk, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
- Grenoble Institut des Neurosciences, Inserm, France
| | - David K Bilkey
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, William James Building, 275 Leith Walk, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
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Harris I, Niven EC, Griffin A, Scott SK. Is song processing distinct and special in the auditory cortex? Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:711-722. [PMID: 37783820 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00743-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Is the singing voice processed distinctively in the human brain? In this Perspective, we discuss what might distinguish song processing from speech processing in light of recent work suggesting that some cortical neuronal populations respond selectively to song and we outline the implications for our understanding of auditory processing. We review the literature regarding the neural and physiological mechanisms of song production and perception and show that this provides evidence for key differences between song and speech processing. We conclude by discussing the significance of the notion that song processing is special in terms of how this might contribute to theories of the neurobiological origins of vocal communication and to our understanding of the neural circuitry underlying sound processing in the human cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilana Harris
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Efe C Niven
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alex Griffin
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sophie K Scott
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
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Gan-Or B, London M. Cortical circuits modulate mouse social vocalizations. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade6992. [PMID: 37774030 PMCID: PMC10541007 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade6992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Vocalizations provide a means of communication with high fidelity and information rate for many species. Diencephalon and brainstem neural circuits have been shown to control mouse vocal production; however, the role of cortical circuits in this process is debatable. Using electrical and optogenetic stimulation, we identified a cortical region in the anterior cingulate cortex in which stimulation elicits ultrasonic vocalizations. Moreover, fiber photometry showed an increase in Ca2+ dynamics preceding vocal initiation, whereas optogenetic suppression in this cortical area caused mice to emit fewer vocalizations. Last, electrophysiological recordings indicated a differential increase in neural activity in response to female social exposure dependent on vocal output. Together, these results indicate that the cortex is a key node in the neuronal circuits controlling vocal behavior in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Gan-Or
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences and Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
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7
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Agarwalla S, De A, Bandyopadhyay S. Predictive Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalization Sequences: Uncovering Behavioral Significance, Auditory Cortex Neuronal Preferences, and Social-Experience-Driven Plasticity. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6141-6163. [PMID: 37541836 PMCID: PMC10476644 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2353-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) contain predictable sequential structures like bird songs and speech. Neural representation of USVs in the mouse primary auditory cortex (Au1) and its plasticity with experience has been largely studied with single-syllables or dyads, without using the predictability in USV sequences. Studies using playback of USV sequences have used randomly selected sequences from numerous possibilities. The current study uses mutual information to obtain context-specific natural sequences (NSeqs) of USV syllables capturing the observed predictability in male USVs in different contexts of social interaction with females. Behavioral and physiological significance of NSeqs over random sequences (RSeqs) lacking predictability were examined. Female mice, never having the social experience of being exposed to males, showed higher selectivity for NSeqs behaviorally and at cellular levels probed by expression of immediate early gene c-fos in Au1. The Au1 supragranular single units also showed higher selectivity to NSeqs over RSeqs. Social-experience-driven plasticity in encoding NSeqs and RSeqs in adult females was probed by examining neural selectivities to the same sequences before and after the above social experience. Single units showed enhanced selectivity for NSeqs over RSeqs after the social experience. Further, using two-photon Ca2+ imaging, we observed social experience-dependent changes in the selectivity of sequences of excitatory and somatostatin-positive inhibitory neurons but not parvalbumin-positive inhibitory neurons of Au1. Using optogenetics, somatostatin-positive neurons were identified as a possible mediator of the observed social-experience-driven plasticity. Our study uncovers the importance of predictive sequences and introduces mouse USVs as a promising model to study context-dependent speech like communications.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Humans need to detect patterns in the sensory world. For instance, speech is meaningful sequences of acoustic tokens easily differentiated from random ordered tokens. The structure derives from the predictability of the tokens. Similarly, mouse vocalization sequences have predictability and undergo context-dependent modulation. Our work investigated whether mice differentiate such informative predictable sequences (NSeqs) of communicative significance from RSeqs at the behavioral, molecular, and neuronal levels. Following a social experience in which NSeqs occur as a crucial component, mouse auditory cortical neurons become more sensitive to differences between NSeqs and RSeqs, although preference for individual tokens is unchanged. Thus, speech-like communication and its dysfunction may be studied in circuit, cellular, and molecular levels in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swapna Agarwalla
- Information Processing Laboratory, Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Amiyangshu De
- Information Processing Laboratory, Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
- Advanced Technology Development Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Sharba Bandyopadhyay
- Information Processing Laboratory, Department of Electronics and Electrical Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
- Advanced Technology Development Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
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8
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Piastolov SV, Volodin IA, Vasilieva NY, Khrushchova AM, Shekarova ON, Volodina EV. Comparison of ultrasonic isolation calls of pure-breeding and interspecies hybrid Phodopus dwarf hamster pups. Behav Processes 2023; 210:104917. [PMID: 37459937 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
In mammalian cross-species hybrids, parameters of voice calls, produced by vocal fold vibrations, are intermediate between parental species. Inheritance of ultrasonic calls, produced by whistle mechanism, is unstudied for hybrids. We examined 4000 pup ultrasonic isolation-induced calls for peak power of call fundamental frequency and for call duration in 4-8-day-old captive hamsters of four Study Groups: pure Phodopus sungorus; pure P. campbelli of two populations (Mongolian and Kosh-Agach) and hybrids between male P. sungorus and female P. campbelli (Kosh-Agach). All Study Groups produced two categories of ultrasonic calls: Low-Frequency centered around 41 kHz and High-Frequency centered around 60 kHz, but in different percentages. Between populations, only Low-Frequency calls were shorter and higher-frequency in Mongolian P. campbelli. Between species, only High-Frequency calls were shorter and higher-frequency in P. sungorus. In hybrids, Low-Frequency calls were shorter and lower-frequency than in either parental species, whereas High-Frequency calls were longer and lower-frequency in hybrids than in pure P. sungorus but similar with another parental species. We discuss that interspecific hybridization may give rise to offspring with new properties of ultrasonic calls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Semen V Piastolov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, Moscow 119234, Russia
| | - Ilya A Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 1/12, Moscow 119234, Russia.
| | - Nina Yu Vasilieva
- Department of Comparative Ethology and Biocommunication, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Anastasia M Khrushchova
- Department of Comparative Ethology and Biocommunication, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Olga N Shekarova
- Department of Population Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Elena V Volodina
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospect, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia
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Nevue AA, Mello CV, Portfors CV. Bats possess the anatomical substrate for a laryngeal motor cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.26.546619. [PMID: 37425685 PMCID: PMC10327025 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.26.546619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Cortical neurons that make direct connections to motor neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord are specialized for fine motor control and learning [1, 2]. Imitative vocal learning, the basis for human speech, requires the precise control of the larynx muscles [3]. While much knowledge on vocal learning systems has been gained from studying songbirds [4], an accessible laboratory model for mammalian vocal learning is highly desirable. Evidence indicative of complex vocal repertoires and dialects suggests that bats are vocal learners [5, 6], however the circuitry that underlies vocal control and learning in bats is largely unknown. A key feature of vocal learning animals is a direct cortical projection to the brainstem motor neurons that innervate the vocal organ [7]. A recent study [8] described a direct connection from the primary motor cortex to medullary nucleus ambiguus in the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus). Here we show that a distantly related bat, Seba's short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata) also possesses a direct projection from the primary motor cortex to nucleus ambiguus. Our results, in combination with Wirthlin et al. [8], suggest that multiple bat lineages possess the anatomical substrate for cortical control of vocal output. We propose that bats would be an informative mammalian model for vocal learning studies to better understand the genetics and circuitry involved in human vocal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander A Nevue
- College of Arts and Sciences, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, 98686
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239
| | - Claudio V Mello
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239
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10
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Rashid M, Olson EC. Delayed cortical development in mice with a neural specific deletion of β1 integrin. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1158419. [PMID: 37250402 PMCID: PMC10213249 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1158419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The adhesion systems employed by migrating cortical neurons are not well understood. Genetic deletion studies of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and paxillin in mice suggested that these classical focal adhesion molecules control the morphology and speed of cortical neuron migration, but whether β1 integrins also regulate migration morphology and speed is not known. We hypothesized that a β1 integrin adhesion complex is required for proper neuronal migration and for proper cortical development. To test this, we have specifically deleted β1 integrin from postmitotic migrating and differentiating neurons by crossing conditional β1 integrin floxed mice into the NEX-Cre transgenic line. Similar to our prior findings with conditional paxillin deficiency, we found that both homozygous and heterozygous deletion of β1 integrin causes transient mispositioning of cortical neurons in the developing cortex when analyzed pre- and perinatally. Paxillin and β1 integrin colocalize in the migrating neurons and deletion of paxillin in the migrating neuron causes an overall reduction of the β1 integrin immunofluorescence signal and reduction in the number of activated β1 integrin puncta in the migrating neurons. These findings suggest that these molecules may form a functional complex in migrating neurons. Similarly, there was an overall reduced number of paxillin+ puncta in the β1 integrin deficient neurons, despite the normal distribution of FAK and Cx26, a connexin required for cortical migration. The double knockout of paxillin and β1 integrin produces a cortical malpositioning phenotype similar to the paxillin or β1 integrin single knockouts, as would be expected if paxillin and β1 integrin function on a common pathway. Importantly, an isolation-induced pup vocalization test showed that β1 integrin mutants produced a significantly smaller number of calls compared to their littermate controls when analyzed at postnatal day 4 (P4) and revealed a several days trend in reduced vocalization development compared to controls. The current study establishes a role for β1 integrin in cortical development and suggests that β1 integrin deficiency leads to migration and neurodevelopmental delays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamunur Rashid
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, United States
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Eric C. Olson
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, United States
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11
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Cullins MJ, Lenell C, Ciucci MR, Connor NP. Changes in ultrasonic vocalizations after unilateral cerebral ischemia in a rat stroke model. Behav Brain Res 2023; 439:114252. [PMID: 36496078 PMCID: PMC9795729 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Stroke frequently results in communication impairments that negatively impact quality of life and overall recovery, yet the biological mechanisms underlying these changes are not well understood. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in rodent models of disease and aging have been used to improve our understanding of the biological mechanisms that underlie vocal deficits and their response to interventions. Changes in USVs after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in mice have been reported, yet rat models have significant anatomical and behavioral advantages over mice, including the ability to vocally train rats with an established paradigm. We sought to determine whether a unilateral MCAO rat stroke model provides a biologically and behaviorally relevant way to study post stroke vocalization deficits. We hypothesized that left MCAO would be associated with changes in USVs. Six weeks after MCAO or sham-control surgery, USVs were recorded in rats using an established mating paradigm. Stroke was associated with differences in USV acoustics including more frequent use of simple calls characterized by shorter durations and restricted bandwidths. These parameters were also found to correlate with post stroke lingual weakness. This is the first study to describe changes to rat USVs using a stroke model. These results suggest the unilateral MCAO rat stroke model is a biologically and behaviorally relevant model to understand how stroke affects vocal behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda J Cullins
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Surgery, United States.
| | - Charles Lenell
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Surgery, United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, United States
| | - Michelle R Ciucci
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Surgery, United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, United States
| | - Nadine P Connor
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Surgery, United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, United States
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12
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Qi H, Luo L, Lu C, Chen R, Zhou X, Zhang X, Jia Y. TCF7L2 acts as a molecular switch in midbrain to control mammal vocalization through its DNA binding domain but not transcription activation domain. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1703-1717. [PMID: 36782064 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01993-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Vocalization is an essential medium for social signaling in birds and mammals. Periaqueductal gray (PAG) a conserved midbrain structure is believed to be responsible for innate vocalizations, but its molecular regulation remains largely unknown. Here, through a mouse forward genetic screening we identified one of the key Wnt/β-catenin effectors TCF7L2/TCF4 controls ultrasonic vocalization (USV) production and syllable complexity during maternal deprivation and sexual encounter. Early developmental expression of TCF7L2 in PAG excitatory neurons is necessary for the complex trait, while TCF7L2 loss reduces neuronal gene expressions and synaptic transmission in PAG. TCF7L2-mediated vocal control is independent of its β-catenin-binding domain but dependent of its DNA binding ability. Patient mutations associated with developmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, disrupt the transcriptional repression effect of TCF7L2, while mice carrying those mutations display severe USV impairments. Therefore, we conclude that TCF7L2 orchestrates gene expression in midbrain to control vocal production through its DNA binding but not transcription activation domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huihui Qi
- Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Li Luo
- Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence (THBI), Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Caijing Lu
- Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Runze Chen
- Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xianyao Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yichang Jia
- Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China. .,School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China. .,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China. .,Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence (THBI), Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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13
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Jabarin R, Netser S, Wagner S. Beyond the three-chamber test: toward a multimodal and objective assessment of social behavior in rodents. Mol Autism 2022; 13:41. [PMID: 36284353 PMCID: PMC9598038 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-022-00521-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
MAIN: In recent years, substantial advances in social neuroscience have been realized, including the generation of numerous rodent models of autism spectrum disorder. Still, it can be argued that those methods currently being used to analyze animal social behavior create a bottleneck that significantly slows down progress in this field. Indeed, the bulk of research still relies on a small number of simple behavioral paradigms, the results of which are assessed without considering behavioral dynamics. Moreover, only few variables are examined in each paradigm, thus overlooking a significant portion of the complexity that characterizes social interaction between two conspecifics, subsequently hindering our understanding of the neural mechanisms governing different aspects of social behavior. We further demonstrate these constraints by discussing the most commonly used paradigm for assessing rodent social behavior, the three-chamber test. We also point to the fact that although emotions greatly influence human social behavior, we lack reliable means for assessing the emotional state of animals during social tasks. As such, we also discuss current evidence supporting the existence of pro-social emotions and emotional cognition in animal models. We further suggest that adequate social behavior analysis requires a novel multimodal approach that employs automated and simultaneous measurements of multiple behavioral and physiological variables at high temporal resolution in socially interacting animals. We accordingly describe several computerized systems and computational tools for acquiring and analyzing such measurements. Finally, we address several behavioral and physiological variables that can be used to assess socio-emotional states in animal models and thus elucidate intricacies of social behavior so as to attain deeper insight into the brain mechanisms that mediate such behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, we suggest that combining automated multimodal measurements with machine-learning algorithms will help define socio-emotional states and determine their dynamics during various types of social tasks, thus enabling a more thorough understanding of the complexity of social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renad Jabarin
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Shai Netser
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shlomo Wagner
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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14
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Forebrain nuclei linked to woodpecker territorial drum displays mirror those that enable vocal learning in songbirds. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001751. [PMID: 36125990 PMCID: PMC9488818 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal learning is thought to have evolved in 3 orders of birds (songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds), with each showing similar brain regions that have comparable gene expression specializations relative to the surrounding forebrain motor circuitry. Here, we searched for signatures of these same gene expression specializations in previously uncharacterized brains of 7 assumed vocal non-learning bird lineages across the early branches of the avian family tree. Our findings using a conserved marker for the song system found little evidence of specializations in these taxa, except for woodpeckers. Instead, woodpeckers possessed forebrain regions that were anatomically similar to the pallial song nuclei of vocal learning birds. Field studies of free-living downy woodpeckers revealed that these brain nuclei showed increased expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) when males produce their iconic drum displays, the elaborate bill-hammering behavior that individuals use to compete for territories, much like birdsong. However, these specialized areas did not show increased IEG expression with vocalization or flight. We further confirmed that other woodpecker species contain these brain nuclei, suggesting that these brain regions are a common feature of the woodpecker brain. We therefore hypothesize that ancient forebrain nuclei for refined motor control may have given rise to not only the song control systems of vocal learning birds, but also the drumming system of woodpeckers. Vocal learning is thought to have evolved in three orders of birds (songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds). This study shows that woodpeckers have evolved a set of brain nuclei to mediate their drum displays, and these regions closely mirror those that underlie song learning in songbirds.
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15
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Stoumpou V, Vargas CDM, Schade PF, Boyd JL, Giannakopoulos T, Jarvis ED. Analysis of Mouse Vocal Communication (AMVOC): a deep, unsupervised method for rapid detection, analysis and classification of ultrasonic vocalisations. BIOACOUSTICS 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2022.2099973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Stoumpou
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - César D. M. Vargas
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Peter F. Schade
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Laboratory of Neural Systems, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - J. Lomax Boyd
- Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Theodoros Giannakopoulos
- Computational Intelligence Lab, Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications, National Center of Scientific Research 'Demokritos', Athens, Greece
| | - Erich D. Jarvis
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
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16
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Karigo T. Gaining insights into the internal states of the rodent brain through vocal communications. Neurosci Res 2022; 184:1-8. [PMID: 35908736 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2022.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Animals display various behaviors during social interactions. Social behaviors have been proposed to be driven by the internal states of the animals, reflecting their emotional or motivational states. However, the internal states that drive social behaviors are complex and difficult to interpret. Many animals, including mice, use vocalizations for communication in various social contexts. This review provides an overview of current understandings of mouse vocal communications, its underlying neural circuitry, and the potential to use vocal communications as a readout for the animal's internal states during social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomomi Karigo
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering 140-18,TianQiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA 91125, USA; Present address: Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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17
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Netser S, Nahardiya G, Weiss-Dicker G, Dadush R, Goussha Y, John SR, Taub M, Werber Y, Sapir N, Yovel Y, Harony-Nicolas H, Buxbaum JD, Cohen L, Crammer K, Wagner S. TrackUSF, a novel tool for automated ultrasonic vocalization analysis, reveals modified calls in a rat model of autism. BMC Biol 2022; 20:159. [PMID: 35820848 PMCID: PMC9277954 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01299-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Various mammalian species emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), which reflect their emotional state and mediate social interactions. USVs are usually analyzed by manual or semi-automated methodologies that categorize discrete USVs according to their structure in the frequency-time domains. This laborious analysis hinders the effective use of USVs as a readout for high-throughput analysis of behavioral changes in animals. Results Here we present a novel automated open-source tool that utilizes a different approach towards USV analysis, termed TrackUSF. To validate TrackUSF, we analyzed calls from different animal species, namely mice, rats, and bats, recorded in various settings and compared the results with a manual analysis by a trained observer. We found that TrackUSF detected the majority of USVs, with less than 1% of false-positive detections. We then employed TrackUSF to analyze social vocalizations in Shank3-deficient rats, a rat model of autism, and revealed that these vocalizations exhibit a spectrum of deviations from appetitive calls towards aversive calls. Conclusions TrackUSF is a simple and easy-to-use system that may be used for a high-throughput comparison of ultrasonic vocalizations between groups of animals of any kind in any setting, with no prior assumptions. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-022-01299-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shai Netser
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.,The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Guy Nahardiya
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.,The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gili Weiss-Dicker
- Department of Electrical Engineering, The Technion, 32000, Haifa, Israel
| | - Roei Dadush
- Department of Electrical Engineering, The Technion, 32000, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yizhaq Goussha
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.,The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shanah Rachel John
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.,The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Mor Taub
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life-Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yuval Werber
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Nir Sapir
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yossi Yovel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life-Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Hala Harony-Nicolas
- The Department of Psychiatry and The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Joseph D Buxbaum
- The Department of Psychiatry and The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Lior Cohen
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | - Koby Crammer
- Department of Electrical Engineering, The Technion, 32000, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shlomo Wagner
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, 3498838, Haifa, Israel. .,The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.
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18
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Maloney SE, Tabachnick DR, Jakes C, Avdagic S, Bauernfeind AL, Dougherty JD. Fluoxetine exposure throughout neurodevelopment differentially influences basilar dendritic morphology in the motor and prefrontal cortices. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7605. [PMID: 35534532 PMCID: PMC9085735 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11614-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The significance of serotonin (5HT) in mental health is underscored by the serotonergic action of many classes of psychiatric medication. 5HT is known to have a significant role in neurodevelopment, thus 5HT disruption during development may have a long term impact on brain structure and circuits. We previously generated a model of 5HT alteration throughout neurodevelopment by maternal administration of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine. We found resulting social behavior alterations in the offspring during both postnatal and adult ages. Previous work by others has indicated that early 5HT disruption influences neuronal morphology. Therefore, in the current study we sought to determine if dendritic morphological changes occur in areas involved in the social behavior deficits we previously observed, specifically the primary motor (M1) and medial prefrontal (mPFC) cortices. We quantified dendritic morphology of projection neurons in M1 and mPFC at postnatal day (P)10 and P79 in mice exposed to fluoxetine. Basilar dendritic complexity and spine density were persistently decreased in M1 fluoxetine-exposed neurons while in the mPFC, similar reductions were observed at P79 but were not present at P10. Our findings underscore that the developing brain, specifically the projection cortex, is vulnerable to 5HT system perturbation, which may be related to later behavioral disruptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E Maloney
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Campus Box 8232, St. Louis, MO, 63110-1093, USA. .,Intellectual and Developmental Disorders Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Dora R Tabachnick
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Campus Box 8232, St. Louis, MO, 63110-1093, USA.,Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Christine Jakes
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Campus Box 8232, St. Louis, MO, 63110-1093, USA.,Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Selma Avdagic
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Campus Box 8232, St. Louis, MO, 63110-1093, USA.,Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Amy L Bauernfeind
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Joseph D Dougherty
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Campus Box 8232, St. Louis, MO, 63110-1093, USA.,Intellectual and Developmental Disorders Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
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19
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Medina CA, Vargas E, Munger SJ, Miller JE. Vocal changes in a zebra finch model of Parkinson's disease characterized by alpha-synuclein overexpression in the song-dedicated anterior forebrain pathway. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265604. [PMID: 35507553 PMCID: PMC9067653 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Deterioration in the quality of a person's voice and speech is an early marker of Parkinson's disease (PD). In humans, the neural circuit that supports vocal motor control consists of a cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortico loop. The basal ganglia regions, striatum and globus pallidus, in this loop play a role in modulating the acoustic features of vocal behavior such as loudness, pitch, and articulatory rate. In PD, this area is implicated in pathogenesis. In animal models of PD, the accumulation of toxic aggregates containing the neuronal protein alpha-synuclein (αsyn) in the midbrain and striatum result in limb and vocal motor impairments. It has been challenging to study vocal impairments given the lack of well-defined cortico-basal ganglia circuitry for vocalization in rodent models. Furthermore, whether deterioration of voice quality early in PD is a direct result of αsyn-induced neuropathology is not yet known. Here, we take advantage of the well-characterized vocal circuits of the adult male zebra finch songbird to experimentally target a song-dedicated pathway, the anterior forebrain pathway, using an adeno-associated virus expressing the human wild-type αsyn gene, SNCA. We found that overexpression of αsyn in this pathway coincides with higher levels of insoluble, monomeric αsyn compared to control finches. Impairments in song production were also detected along with shorter and poorer quality syllables, which are the most basic unit of song. These vocal changes are similar to the vocal abnormalities observed in individuals with PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesar A. Medina
- Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United State of America
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Eddie Vargas
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Stephanie J. Munger
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Julie E. Miller
- Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United State of America
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
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20
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Bouguiyoud N, Morales-Grahl E, Bronchti G, Frasnelli J, Roullet FI, Al Aïn S. Effects of Congenital Blindness on Ultrasonic Vocalizations and Social Behaviors in the ZRDBA Mouse. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:884688. [PMID: 35592638 PMCID: PMC9110969 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.884688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mice produce ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) at different ages and social contexts, including maternal-pup separation, social play in juveniles, social interactions, and mating in adults. The USVs' recording can be used as an index of sensory detection, internal state, and social motivation. While sensory deprivation may alter USVs' emission and some social behaviors in deaf and anosmic rodents, little is known about the effects of visual deprivation in rodents. This longitudinal study aimed to assess acoustic communication and social behaviors using a mouse model of congenital blindness. Anophthalmic and sighted mice were assayed to a series of behavioral tests at three different ages, namely, the maternal isolation-induced pup USV test and the home odor discrimination and preference test on postnatal day (PND) 7, the juvenile social test on PND 30-35, and the female urine-induced USVs and scent-marking behavior at 2-3 months. Our results evidenced that (1) at PND 7, USVs' total number between both groups was similar, all mice vocalized less during the second isolation period than the first period, and both phenotypes showed similar discrimination and preference, favoring exploration of the home bedding odor; (2) at PND 30-35, anophthalmic mice engaged less in social behaviors in the juvenile play test than sighted ones, but the number of total USVs produced is not affected; and (3) at adulthood, when exposed to a female urine spot, anophthalmic male mice displayed faster responses in terms of USVs' emission and sniffing behavior, associated with a longer time spent exploring the female urinary odor. Interestingly, acoustic behavior in the pups and adults was correlated in sighted mice only. Together, our study reveals that congenital visual deprivation had no effect on the number of USVs emitted in the pups and juveniles, but affected the USVs' emission in the adult male and impacted the social behavior in juvenile and adult mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nouhaila Bouguiyoud
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
- Cognition, Neurosciences, Affect et Comportement (CogNAC) Research Group, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
| | | | - Gilles Bronchti
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
| | - Johannes Frasnelli
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
- Cognition, Neurosciences, Affect et Comportement (CogNAC) Research Group, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
| | - Florence I. Roullet
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Syrina Al Aïn
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
- Cognition, Neurosciences, Affect et Comportement (CogNAC) Research Group, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
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21
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Zheng DJ, Okobi DE, Shu R, Agrawal R, Smith SK, Long MA, Phelps SM. Mapping the vocal circuitry of Alston's singing mouse with pseudorabies virus. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:2075-2099. [PMID: 35385140 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Vocalizations are often elaborate, rhythmically structured behaviors. Vocal motor patterns require close coordination of neural circuits governing the muscles of the larynx, jaw, and respiratory system. In the elaborate vocalization of Alston's singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina) each note of its rapid, frequency-modulated trill is accompanied by equally rapid modulation of breath and gape. To elucidate the neural circuitry underlying this behavior, we introduced the polysynaptic retrograde neuronal tracer pseudorabies virus (PRV) into the cricothyroid and digastricus muscles, which control frequency modulation and jaw opening, respectively. Each virus singly labels ipsilateral motoneurons (nucleus ambiguus for cricothyroid, and motor trigeminal nucleus for digastricus). We find that the two isogenic viruses heavily and bilaterally colabel neurons in the gigantocellular reticular formation, a putative central pattern generator. The viruses also show strong colabeling in compartments of the midbrain including the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray and the parabrachial nucleus, two structures strongly implicated in vocalizations. In the forebrain, regions important to social cognition and energy balance both exhibit extensive colabeling. This includes the paraventricular and arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus, the lateral hypothalamus, preoptic area, extended amygdala, central amygdala, and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Finally, we find doubly labeled neurons in M1 motor cortex previously described as laryngeal, as well as in the prelimbic cortex, which indicate these cortical regions play a role in vocal production. The progress of both viruses is broadly consistent with vertebrate-general patterns of vocal circuitry, as well as with circuit models derived from primate literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Jiang Zheng
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Daniel E Okobi
- Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Ryan Shu
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Rania Agrawal
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Samantha K Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Michael A Long
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Otolaryngology, Langone Medical Center, New York University, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Steven M Phelps
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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22
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Qi C, Chen A, Mao H, Hu E, Ge J, Ma G, Ren K, Xue Q, Wang W, Wu S. Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Imbalance Caused by Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Deficits During Development in a Valproic Acid Mouse Model of Autism. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:860275. [PMID: 35465089 PMCID: PMC9019547 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.860275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental factors, such as medication during pregnancy, are one of the major causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Valproic acid (VPA) intake during pregnancy has been reported to dramatically elevate autism risk in offspring. Recently, researchers have proposed that VPA exposure could induce excitatory or inhibitory synaptic dysfunction. However, it remains to be determined whether and how alterations in the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance contribute to VPA-induced ASD in a mouse model. In the present study, we explored changes in the E/I balance during different developmental periods in a VPA mouse model. We found that typical markers of pre- and postsynaptic excitatory and inhibitory function involved in E/I balance markedly decreased during development, reflecting difficulties in the development of synaptic plasticity in VPA-exposed mice. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin that promotes the formation and maturation of glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses during postnatal development, was severely reduced in the VPA-exposed group. Treatment with exogenous BDNF during the critical E/I imbalance period rescued synaptic functions and autism-like behaviors, such as social defects. With these results, we experimentally showed that social dysfunction in the VPA mouse model of autism might be caused by E/I imbalance stemming from BDNF deficits during the developmental stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuchu Qi
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Andi Chen
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Honghui Mao
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Erling Hu
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Junye Ge
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Center for Teacher Professional Ability Development, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Guaiguai Ma
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Yan’an University, Yan’an, China
| | - Keke Ren
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Qian Xue
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Wenting Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
- *Correspondence: Wenting Wang,
| | - Shengxi Wu
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
- Shengxi Wu,
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23
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Lukacova K, Hamaide J, Baciak L, Van der Linden A, Kubikova L. Striatal Injury Induces Overall Brain Alteration at the Pallial, Thalamic, and Cerebellar Levels. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11030425. [PMID: 35336799 PMCID: PMC8945699 DOI: 10.3390/biology11030425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Magnetic resonance imaging showed that striatal injury leads to structural changes within several brain areas. Here, we specify these changes via gene expression of synaptic plasticity markers, neuronal markers, assessing the number of newborn cells as well as cell densities. We found that the injury resulted in long-lasting modifications involving plasticity and neural protection mechanisms in areas directly as well as indirectly connected with the damaged striatum, including the cerebellum. Abstract The striatal region Area X plays an important role during song learning, sequencing, and variability in songbirds. A previous study revealed that neurotoxic damage within Area X results in micro and macrostructural changes across the entire brain, including the downstream dorsal thalamus and both the upstream pallial nucleus HVC (proper name) and the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN). Here, we specify these changes on cellular and gene expression levels. We found decreased cell density in the thalamic and cerebellar areas and HVC, but it was not related to neuronal loss. On the contrary, perineuronal nets (PNNs) in HVC increased for up to 2 months post-lesion, suggesting their protecting role. The synaptic plasticity marker Forkhead box protein P2 (FoxP2) showed a bi-phasic increase at 8 days and 3 months post-lesion, indicating a massive synaptic rebuilding. The later increase in HVC was associated with the increased number of new neurons. These data suggest that the damage in the striatal vocal nucleus induces cellular and gene expression alterations in both the efferent and afferent destinations. These changes may be long-lasting and involve plasticity and neural protection mechanisms in the areas directly connected to the injury site and also to distant areas, such as the cerebellum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Lukacova
- Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Correspondence: (K.L.); (L.K.)
| | - Julie Hamaide
- Bio-Imaging Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (J.H.); (A.V.d.L.)
| | - Ladislav Baciak
- Central Laboratories, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovakia;
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (J.H.); (A.V.d.L.)
| | - Lubica Kubikova
- Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Correspondence: (K.L.); (L.K.)
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25
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Ruthig P, Schönwiesner M. Common principles in the lateralisation of auditory cortex structure and function for vocal communication in primates and rodents. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:827-845. [PMID: 34984748 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
This review summarises recent findings on the lateralisation of communicative sound processing in the auditory cortex (AC) of humans, non-human primates, and rodents. Functional imaging in humans has demonstrated a left hemispheric preference for some acoustic features of speech, but it is unclear to which degree this is caused by bottom-up acoustic feature selectivity or top-down modulation from language areas. Although non-human primates show a less pronounced functional lateralisation in AC, the properties of AC fields and behavioral asymmetries are qualitatively similar. Rodent studies demonstrate microstructural circuits that might underlie bottom-up acoustic feature selectivity in both hemispheres. Functionally, the left AC in the mouse appears to be specifically tuned to communication calls, whereas the right AC may have a more 'generalist' role. Rodents also show anatomical AC lateralisation, such as differences in size and connectivity. Several of these functional and anatomical characteristics are also lateralized in human AC. Thus, complex vocal communication processing shares common features among rodents and primates. We argue that a synthesis of results from humans, non-human primates, and rodents is necessary to identify the neural circuitry of vocal communication processing. However, data from different species and methods are often difficult to compare. Recent advances may enable better integration of methods across species. Efforts to standardise data formats and analysis tools would benefit comparative research and enable synergies between psychological and biological research in the area of vocal communication processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Ruthig
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Sachsen.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig
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Ravignani A, Garcia M. A cross-species framework to identify vocal learning abilities in mammals. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200394. [PMID: 34775824 PMCID: PMC8591379 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal production learning (VPL) is the experience-driven ability to produce novel vocal signals through imitation or modification of existing vocalizations. A parallel strand of research investigates acoustic allometry, namely how information about body size is conveyed by acoustic signals. Recently, we proposed that deviation from acoustic allometry principles as a result of sexual selection may have been an intermediate step towards the evolution of vocal learning abilities in mammals. Adopting a more hypothesis-neutral stance, here we perform phylogenetic regressions and other analyses further testing a potential link between VPL and being an allometric outlier. We find that multiple species belonging to VPL clades deviate from allometric scaling but in the opposite direction to that expected from size exaggeration mechanisms. In other words, our correlational approach finds an association between VPL and being an allometric outlier. However, the direction of this association, contra our original hypothesis, may indicate that VPL did not necessarily emerge via sexual selection for size exaggeration: VPL clades show higher vocalization frequencies than expected. In addition, our approach allows us to identify species with potential for VPL abilities: we hypothesize that those outliers from acoustic allometry lying above the regression line may be VPL species. Our results may help better understand the cross-species diversity, variability and aetiology of VPL, which among other things is a key underpinning of speech in our species. This article is part of the theme issue 'Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part II)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ravignani
- Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Wundtlaan 1, 6525 XD Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Maxime Garcia
- Animal Behaviour, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich 8051, Switzerland.,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
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27
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Sainburg T, Gentner TQ. Toward a Computational Neuroethology of Vocal Communication: From Bioacoustics to Neurophysiology, Emerging Tools and Future Directions. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:811737. [PMID: 34987365 PMCID: PMC8721140 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.811737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently developed methods in computational neuroethology have enabled increasingly detailed and comprehensive quantification of animal movements and behavioral kinematics. Vocal communication behavior is well poised for application of similar large-scale quantification methods in the service of physiological and ethological studies. This review describes emerging techniques that can be applied to acoustic and vocal communication signals with the goal of enabling study beyond a small number of model species. We review a range of modern computational methods for bioacoustics, signal processing, and brain-behavior mapping. Along with a discussion of recent advances and techniques, we include challenges and broader goals in establishing a framework for the computational neuroethology of vocal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Sainburg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Center for Academic Research & Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Timothy Q. Gentner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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Evaluating the DeepSqueak and Mouse Song Analyzer vocalization analysis systems in C57BL/6J, FVB.129, and FVB neonates. J Neurosci Methods 2021; 364:109356. [PMID: 34508783 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2021.109356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Communication is an essential behavior in mammals. Alterations in communication (neonatal crying) characterize numerous human neurodevelopmental conditions. Mice produce communicative vocalizations, known as ultrasonic vocalizations, (USVs) that can be recorded. The Mouse Song Analyzer is an automated USV analysis system while DeepSqueak is a semi-automated USV detection system. METHOD We used data from, C57BL/6J, FVB.129, and FVB neonates to compare the reliability of DeepSqueak and the Mouse Song Analyzer across various acoustic variables. RESULTS We found that both systems detected a similar quantity of USVs for FVB.129 and FVB mice. However, DeepSqueak detected more USVs for C57BL/6J mice. High correlations were found between systems for each strain. When assessing duration, Deepsqueak detected USVs of a longer duration then the Mouse Song Analyzer across all strains. A low correlation between systems for duration was found for FVB.129 mice, while high correlations were found for C57BL/6J and FVB mice. When assessing fundamental frequency, the Mouse Song Analyzer detected a higher frequency than DeepSqueak for FVB.129 mice, with no other differences present. High correlations between systems were found for C57BL/6J and FVB.129 mice, while a low correlation was found for FVB mice. We also assessed each system's sensitivity and found that Deepsqueak was able to detect softer USVs than the Mouse Song Analyzer. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that the strain of mouse used significantly affects the reliability of USV analysis systems. However, our data also indicates that DeepSqueak is more reliable and accurate than the Mouse Song Analyzer due to its increased sensitivity.
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Kamitakahara AK, Ali Marandi Ghoddousi R, Lanjewar AL, Magalong VM, Wu HH, Levitt P. MET Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Regulates Lifespan Ultrasonic Vocalization and Vagal Motor Neuron Development. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:768577. [PMID: 34803597 PMCID: PMC8600253 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.768577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The intrinsic muscles of the larynx are innervated by the vagal motor nucleus ambiguus (nAmb), which provides direct motor control over vocal production in humans and rodents. Here, we demonstrate in mice using the Phox2b Cre line, that conditional embryonic deletion of the gene encoding the MET receptor tyrosine kinase (MET) in the developing brainstem (cKO) results in highly penetrant, severe deficits in ultrasonic vocalization in early postnatal life. Major deficits and abnormal vocalization patterns persist into adulthood in more than 70% of mice, with the remaining recovering the ability to vocalize, reflecting heterogeneity in circuit restitution. We show that underlying the functional deficits, conditional deletion of Met results in a loss of approximately one-third of MET+ nAmb motor neurons, which begins as early as embryonic day 14.5. The loss of motor neurons is specific to the nAmb, as other brainstem motor and sensory nuclei are unaffected. In the recurrent laryngeal nerve, through which nAmb motor neurons project to innervate the larynx, there is a one-third loss of axons in cKO mice. Together, the data reveal a novel, heterogenous MET-dependence, for which MET differentially affects survival of a subset of nAmb motor neurons necessary for lifespan ultrasonic vocal capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K. Kamitakahara
- Program in Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Ramin Ali Marandi Ghoddousi
- Program in Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Alexandra L. Lanjewar
- Program in Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Valerie M. Magalong
- Program in Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Hsiao-Huei Wu
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Pat Levitt
- Program in Developmental Neuroscience and Neurogenetics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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de Chaumont F, Lemière N, Coqueran S, Bourgeron T, Ey E. LMT USV Toolbox, a Novel Methodological Approach to Place Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Their Behavioral Contexts-A Study in Female and Male C57BL/6J Mice and in Shank3 Mutant Females. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:735920. [PMID: 34720899 PMCID: PMC8548730 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.735920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are used as a phenotypic marker in mouse models of neuropsychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, current methodologies still require time-consuming manual input or sound recordings clean of any background noise. We developed a method to overcome these two restraints to boost knowledge on mouse USVs. The methods are freely available and the USV analysis runs online at https://usv.pasteur.cloud. As little is currently known about usage and structure of ultrasonic vocalizations during social interactions over the long-term and in unconstrained context, we investigated mouse spontaneous communication by coupling the analysis of USVs with automatic labeling of behaviors. We continuously recorded during 3 days undisturbed interactions of same-sex pairs of C57BL/6J sexually naive males and females at 5 weeks and 3 and 7 months of age. In same-sex interactions, we observed robust differences between males and females in the amount of USVs produced, in the acoustic structure and in the contexts of emission. The context-specific acoustic variations emerged with increasing age. The emission of USVs also reflected a high level of excitement during social interactions. We finally highlighted the importance of studying long-term spontaneous communication by investigating female mice lacking Shank3, a synaptic protein associated with autism. While the previous short-time constrained investigations could not detect USV emission abnormalities, our analysis revealed robust differences in the usage and structure of the USVs emitted by mutant mice compared to wild-type female pairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrice de Chaumont
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Lemière
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Sabrina Coqueran
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Bourgeron
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Elodie Ey
- Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR 3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
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Abstract
Birds are our best models to understand vocal learning – a vocal production ability guided by auditory feedback, which includes human language. Among all vocal learners, songbirds have the most diverse life histories, and some aspects of their vocal learning ability are well-known, such as the neural substrates and vocal control centers, through vocal development studies. Currently, species are classified as either vocal learners or non-learners, and a key difference between the two is the development period, extended in learners, but short in non-learners. But this clear dichotomy has been challenged by the vocal learning continuum hypothesis. One way to address this challenge is to examine both learners and canonical non-learners and determine whether their vocal development is dichotomous or falls along a continuum. However, when we examined the existing empirical data we found that surprisingly few species have their vocal development periods documented. Furthermore, we identified multiple biases within previous vocal development studies in birds, including an extremely narrow focus on (1) a few model species, (2) oscines, (3) males, and (4) songs. Consequently, these biases may have led to an incomplete and possibly erroneous conclusions regarding the nature of the relationships between vocal development patterns and vocal learning ability. Diversifying vocal development studies to include a broader range of taxa is urgently needed to advance the field of vocal learning and examine how vocal development patterns might inform our understanding of vocal learning.
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Searcy WA, Soha J, Peters S, Nowicki S. Variation in vocal production learning across songbirds. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200257. [PMID: 34482719 PMCID: PMC8419578 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Songbirds as a whole are considered to be vocal production learners, meaning that they modify the structure of their vocalizations as a result of experience with the vocalizations of others. The more than 4000 species of songbirds, however, vary greatly in crucial features of song development. Variable features include: (i) the normality of the songs of early-deafened birds, reflecting the importance of innate motor programmes in song development; (ii) the normality of the songs of isolation-reared birds, reflecting the combined importance of innate auditory templates and motor programmes; (iii) the degree of selectivity in choice of external models; (iv) the accuracy of copying from external models; and (v) whether or not learning from external models continues into adulthood. We suggest that because of this variability, some songbird species, specifically those that are able to develop songs in the normal range without exposure to external models, can be classified as limited vocal learners. Those species that require exposure to external models to develop songs in the normal range can be considered complex vocal learners. This article is part of the theme issue 'Vocal learning in animals and humans'.
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Affiliation(s)
- William A. Searcy
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA
| | - Jill Soha
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Susan Peters
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Stephen Nowicki
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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Abstract
Vocal production learning, the ability to modify the structure of vocalizations as a result of hearing those of others, has been studied extensively in birds but less attention has been given to its occurrence in mammals. We summarize the available evidence for vocal learning in mammals from the last 25 years, updating earlier reviews on the subject. The clearest evidence comes from cetaceans, pinnipeds, elephants and bats where species have been found to copy artificial or human language sounds, or match acoustic models of different sound types. Vocal convergence, in which parameter adjustments within one sound type result in similarities between individuals, occurs in a wider range of mammalian orders with additional evidence from primates, mole-rats, goats and mice. Currently, the underlying mechanisms for convergence are unclear with vocal production learning but also usage learning or matching physiological states being possible explanations. For experimental studies, we highlight the importance of quantitative comparisons of seemingly learned sounds with vocal repertoires before learning started or with species repertoires to confirm novelty. Further studies on the mammalian orders presented here as well as others are needed to explore learning skills and limitations in greater detail. This article is part of the theme issue 'Vocal learning in animals and humans'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent M Janik
- Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Mirjam Knörnschild
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany.,Animal Behavior Lab, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
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Positive selection in noncoding genomic regions of vocal learning birds is associated with genes implicated in vocal learning and speech functions in humans. Genome Res 2021; 31:2035-2049. [PMID: 34667117 PMCID: PMC8559704 DOI: 10.1101/gr.275989.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Vocal learning, the ability to imitate sounds from conspecifics and the environment, is a key component of human spoken language and learned song in three independently evolved avian groups—oscine songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds. Humans and each of these three bird clades exhibit specialized behavioral, neuroanatomical, and brain gene expression convergence related to vocal learning, speech, and song. To understand the evolutionary basis of vocal learning gene specializations and convergence, we searched for and identified accelerated genomic regions (ARs), a marker of positive selection, specific to vocal learning birds. We found avian vocal learner-specific ARs, and they were enriched in noncoding regions near genes with known speech functions or brain gene expression specializations in humans and vocal learning birds, including FOXP2, NEUROD6, ZEB2, and MEF2C, and near genes with major neurodevelopmental functions, including NR2F1, NRP2, and BCL11B. We also found enrichment near the SFARI class S genes associated with syndromic vocal communication forms of autism spectrum disorders. These findings reveal strong candidate noncoding regions near genes for the evolutionary adaptations that distinguish vocal learning species from their close vocal nonlearning relatives and provide further evidence of molecular convergence between birdsong and human spoken language.
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Patel AD. Vocal learning as a preadaptation for the evolution of human beat perception and synchronization. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200326. [PMID: 34420384 PMCID: PMC8380969 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The human capacity to synchronize movements to an auditory beat is central to musical behaviour and to debates over the evolution of human musicality. Have humans evolved any neural specializations for music processing, or does music rely entirely on brain circuits that evolved for other reasons? The vocal learning and rhythmic synchronization hypothesis proposes that our ability to move in time with an auditory beat in a precise, predictive and tempo-flexible manner originated in the neural circuitry for complex vocal learning. In the 15 years, since the hypothesis was proposed a variety of studies have supported it. However, one study has provided a significant challenge to the hypothesis. Furthermore, it is increasingly clear that vocal learning is not a binary trait animals have or lack, but varies more continuously across species. In the light of these developments and of recent progress in the neurobiology of beat processing and of vocal learning, the current paper revises the vocal learning hypothesis. It argues that an advanced form of vocal learning acts as a preadaptation for sporadic beat perception and synchronization (BPS), providing intrinsic rewards for predicting the temporal structure of complex acoustic sequences. It further proposes that in humans, mechanisms of gene-culture coevolution transformed this preadaptation into a genuine neural adaptation for sustained BPS. The larger significance of this proposal is that it outlines a hypothesis of cognitive gene-culture coevolution which makes testable predictions for neuroscience, cross-species studies and genetics. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniruddh D. Patel
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
- Program in Brain, Mind, and Consciousness, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada
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36
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Jean A, Mhaouty-Kodja S, Hardin-Pouzet H. Hypothalamic cellular and molecular plasticity linked to sexual experience in male rats and mice. Front Neuroendocrinol 2021; 63:100949. [PMID: 34687674 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Male sexual behavior is subject to learning, resulting in increased efficiency of experienced males compared to naive ones. The improvement in behavioral parameters is underpinned by cellular and molecular changes in the neural circuit controlling sexual behavior, particularly in the hypothalamic medial preoptic area. This review provides an update on the mechanisms related to the sexual experience in male rodents, emphasizing the differences between rats and mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Jean
- Sorbonne Université - Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie, Neuroplasticité des Comportements de la Reproduction, Neurosciences Paris Seine, UM119 - CNRS UMR 8246 - INSERM UMRS 1130, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75 005 Paris, France
| | - Sakina Mhaouty-Kodja
- Sorbonne Université - Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie, Neuroplasticité des Comportements de la Reproduction, Neurosciences Paris Seine, UM119 - CNRS UMR 8246 - INSERM UMRS 1130, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75 005 Paris, France
| | - Hélène Hardin-Pouzet
- Sorbonne Université - Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie, Neuroplasticité des Comportements de la Reproduction, Neurosciences Paris Seine, UM119 - CNRS UMR 8246 - INSERM UMRS 1130, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75 005 Paris, France.
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von Merten S, Pfeifle C, Künzel S, Hoier S, Tautz D. A humanized version of Foxp2 affects ultrasonic vocalization in adult female and male mice. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2021; 20:e12764. [PMID: 34342113 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The transcription factor FoxP2 is involved in setting up the neuronal circuitry for vocal learning in mammals and birds and is thought to have played a special role in the evolution of human speech and language. It has been shown that an allele with a humanized version of the murine Foxp2 gene changes the ultrasonic vocalization of mouse pups compared to pups of the wild-type inbred strain. Here we tested if this humanized allele would also affect the ultrasonic vocalization of adult female and male mice. In a previous study, in which only male vocalization was considered and the mice were recorded under a restricted spatial and temporal regime, no difference in adult vocalization between genotypes was found. Here, we use a different test paradigm in which both female and male vocalizations are recorded in extended social contact. We found differences in temporal, spectral and syntactical parameters between the genotypes in both sexes, and between sexes. Mice carrying the humanized Foxp2 allele were using higher frequencies and more complex syllable types than mice of the corresponding wildtype inbred strain. Our results support the notion that the humanized Foxp2 allele has a differential effect on mouse ultrasonic vocalization. As mice carrying the humanized version of the Foxp2 gene show effects opposite to those of mice carrying disrupted or mutated alleles of this gene, we conclude that this mouse line represents an important model for the study of human speech and language evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie von Merten
- CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Christine Pfeifle
- Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Sven Künzel
- Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Svenja Hoier
- Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Diethard Tautz
- Department for Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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38
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Turk AZ, Lotfi Marchoubeh M, Fritsch I, Maguire GA, SheikhBahaei S. Dopamine, vocalization, and astrocytes. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 219:104970. [PMID: 34098250 PMCID: PMC8260450 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.104970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Dopamine, the main catecholamine neurotransmitter in the brain, is predominately produced in the basal ganglia and released to various brain regions including the frontal cortex, midbrain and brainstem. Dopamine's effects are widespread and include modulation of a number of voluntary and innate behaviors. Vigilant regulation and modulation of dopamine levels throughout the brain is imperative for proper execution of motor behaviors, in particular speech and other types of vocalizations. While dopamine's role in motor circuitry is widely accepted, its unique function in normal and abnormal speech production is not fully understood. In this perspective, we first review the role of dopaminergic circuits in vocal production. We then discuss and propose the conceivable involvement of astrocytes, the numerous star-shaped glia cells of the brain, in the dopaminergic network modulating normal and abnormal vocal productions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariana Z Turk
- Neuron-Glia Signaling and Circuits Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, 20892 MD, USA
| | - Mahsa Lotfi Marchoubeh
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 72701 AR, USA
| | - Ingrid Fritsch
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 72701 AR, USA
| | - Gerald A Maguire
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, 92521 CA, USA
| | - Shahriar SheikhBahaei
- Neuron-Glia Signaling and Circuits Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, 20892 MD, USA.
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39
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Zheng DJ, Singh A, Phelps SM. Conservation and dimorphism in androgen receptor distribution in Alston's singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina). J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:2539-2557. [PMID: 33576501 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Because of their roles in courtship and intrasexual competition, sexual displays are often sexually dimorphic, but we know little about the mechanisms that produce such dimorphism. Among mammals, one example is the vocalization of Alston's singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina), which consists of a series of rapidly repeated, frequency-modulated notes. The rate and duration of songs is sexually dimorphic and androgen responsive. To understand the neuronal mechanisms underlying this sexual dimorphism, we map the sites of androgen sensitivity throughout the brain, focusing analysis along a pathway that spans from limbic structures to vocal motor regions. We find widespread expression of AR immunoreactivity (AR-ir) throughout limbic structures important for social behavior and vocalization, including the lateral septum, extended amygdala, preoptic area and hypothalamus. We also find extensive AR staining along previously documented vocal motor pathways, including the periaqueductal gray, parabrachial nucleus, and nucleus ambiguus, the last of which innervates intrinsic laryngeal muscles. Lastly, AR-ir is also evident in sensory areas such as the medial geniculate, inferior, and superior colliculi. A quantitative analysis revealed that males exhibited more AR-ir than females, a pattern that was most pronounced in the hypothalamus. Despite the elaboration of vocalization in singing mice, comparison with prior literature suggests that the broad pattern of AR-ir may be conserved across a wide range of rodents. Together these data identify brain nuclei well positioned to shape the sexually dimorphic vocalization of S. teguina and suggest that such androgen modulation of vocalization is evolutionary conserved among rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Jiang Zheng
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Aditi Singh
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Steven M Phelps
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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40
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Premoli M, Memo M, Bonini SA. Ultrasonic vocalizations in mice: relevance for ethologic and neurodevelopmental disorders studies. Neural Regen Res 2021; 16:1158-1167. [PMID: 33269765 PMCID: PMC8224126 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.300340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mice use ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) to communicate each other and to convey their emotional state. USVs have been greatly characterized in specific life phases and contexts, such as mother isolation-induced USVs for pups or female-induced USVs for male mice during courtship. USVs can be acquired by means of specific tools and later analyzed on the base of both quantitative and qualitative parameters. Indeed, different ultrasonic call categories exist and have already been defined. The understanding of different calls meaning is still missing, and it will represent an essential step forward in the field of USVs. They have long been studied in the ethological context, but recently they emerged as a precious instrument to study pathologies characterized by deficits in communication, in particular neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as autism spectrum disorders. This review covers the topics of USVs characteristics in mice, contexts for USVs emission and factors that modulate their expression. A particular focus will be devoted to mouse USVs in the context of NDDs. Indeed, several NDDs murine models exist and an intense study of USVs is currently in progress, with the aim of both performing an early diagnosis and to find a pharmacological/behavioral intervention to improve patients' quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marika Premoli
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, Brescia, Italy
| | - Maurizio Memo
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, Brescia, Italy
| | - Sara Anna Bonini
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, Brescia, Italy
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Warren MR, Spurrier MS, Sangiamo DT, Clein RS, Neunuebel JP. Mouse vocal emission and acoustic complexity do not scale linearly with the size of a social group. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb239814. [PMID: 34096599 PMCID: PMC8214829 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.239814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Adult mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), sounds above the range of human hearing, during social encounters. While mice alter their vocal emissions between isolated and social contexts, technological impediments have hampered our ability to assess how individual mice vocalize in group social settings. We overcame this challenge by implementing an 8-channel microphone array system, allowing us to determine which mouse emitted individual vocalizations across multiple social contexts. This technology, in conjunction with a new approach for extracting and categorizing a complex, full repertoire of vocalizations, facilitated our ability to directly compare how mice modulate their vocal emissions between isolated, dyadic and group social environments. When comparing vocal emission during isolated and social settings, we found that socializing male mice increase the proportion of vocalizations with turning points in frequency modulation and instantaneous jumps in frequency. Moreover, males change the types of vocalizations emitted between social and isolated contexts. In contrast, there was no difference in male vocal emission between dyadic and group social contexts. Female vocal emission, while predominantly absent in isolation, was also similar during dyadic and group interactions. In particular, there were no differences in the proportion of vocalizations with frequency jumps or turning points. Taken together, the findings lay the groundwork necessary for elucidating the stimuli underlying specific features of vocal emission in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R. Warren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Morgan S. Spurrier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Daniel T. Sangiamo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Rachel S. Clein
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Joshua P. Neunuebel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
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42
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Volodin IA, Volodina EV, Frey R, Karaseva KD, Kirilyuk VE. Daurian pika (Ochotona dauurica) alarm calls: individual acoustic variation in a lagomorph with audible through ultrasonic vocalizations. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Colonial lagomorphs warn conspecifics of potential danger with alarm calls encoding information about attributes of presumptive predators as well as the caller. In this study, we show that alarm calls of Daurian pikas, Ochotona dauurica (Pallas, 1776), encode information about caller identity. We recorded the alarm calls produced toward a surrogate predator (researcher), slowly moving (0.5–1 km/h) between densely distributed colonies. The alarm calls of most (32 of the 35) callers started in the ultrasonic range at 22.41 kHz on average and rapidly decreased to 3.88 kHz on average at call end. Call duration was very short (0.057 s on average). The accuracy of classifying alarm calls to correct callers with discriminant function analysis (DFA) was 93.71% for the manually measured set of 12 acoustic variables and 95.43% for the semiautomatically measured set of 12 acoustic variables; in both cases exceeding the level of chance (17.28% or 17.33%, respectively). Nonlinear vocal phenomena (biphonations) only were detected in one individual. We discuss the relationship between vocal traits, individuality, vocal production mechanisms, and functions, of pika alarm calls. We propose a potential divergence of alarm calls in Asian pikas to high-frequency whistles (> 20 kHz in Daurian pikas) and in American pikas to low-frequency emissions (0.4–1.3 kHz in Ochotona princeps) during the evolutionary radiation of pikas at the center of the origin of lagomorphs in East Asia and their subsequent geographic dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya A Volodin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena V Volodina
- Department of Behaviour and Behavioural Ecology of Mammals, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Roland Frey
- Department of Reproduction Management, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kseniya D Karaseva
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vadim E Kirilyuk
- Daursky State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Nizhnii Tsasuchei, Ononskii District, Zabaikalskii Krai, Russia
- Department of Biogeography, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Chen J, Markowitz JE, Lilascharoen V, Taylor S, Sheurpukdi P, Keller JA, Jensen JR, Lim BK, Datta SR, Stowers L. Flexible scaling and persistence of social vocal communication. Nature 2021; 593:108-113. [PMID: 33790464 PMCID: PMC9153763 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03403-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Innate vocal sounds such as laughing, screaming or crying convey one's feelings to others. In many species, including humans, scaling the amplitude and duration of vocalizations is essential for effective social communication1-3. In mice, female scent triggers male mice to emit innate courtship ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs)4,5. However, whether mice flexibly scale their vocalizations and how neural circuits are structured to generate flexibility remain largely unknown. Here we identify mouse neurons from the lateral preoptic area (LPOA) that express oestrogen receptor 1 (LPOAESR1 neurons) and, when activated, elicit the complete repertoire of USV syllables emitted during natural courtship. Neural anatomy and functional data reveal a two-step, di-synaptic circuit motif in which primary long-range inhibitory LPOAESR1 neurons relieve a clamp of local periaqueductal grey (PAG) inhibition, enabling excitatory PAG USV-gating neurons to trigger vocalizations. We find that social context shapes a wide range of USV amplitudes and bout durations. This variability is absent when PAG neurons are stimulated directly; PAG-evoked vocalizations are time-locked to neural activity and stereotypically loud. By contrast, increasing the activity of LPOAESR1 neurons scales the amplitude of vocalizations, and delaying the recovery of the inhibition clamp prolongs USV bouts. Thus, the LPOA disinhibition motif contributes to flexible loudness and the duration and persistence of bouts, which are key aspects of effective vocal social communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Varoth Lilascharoen
- Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sandra Taylor
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pete Sheurpukdi
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jason A Keller
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | | | - Byung Kook Lim
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Lisa Stowers
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Fonseca AH, Santana GM, Bosque Ortiz GM, Bampi S, Dietrich MO. Analysis of ultrasonic vocalizations from mice using computer vision and machine learning. eLife 2021; 10:59161. [PMID: 33787490 PMCID: PMC8057810 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) that communicate socially relevant information. To detect and classify these USVs, here we describe VocalMat. VocalMat is a software that uses image-processing and differential geometry approaches to detect USVs in audio files, eliminating the need for user-defined parameters. VocalMat also uses computational vision and machine learning methods to classify USVs into distinct categories. In a data set of >4000 USVs emitted by mice, VocalMat detected over 98% of manually labeled USVs and accurately classified ≈86% of the USVs out of 11 USV categories. We then used dimensionality reduction tools to analyze the probability distribution of USV classification among different experimental groups, providing a robust method to quantify and qualify the vocal repertoire of mice. Thus, VocalMat makes it possible to perform automated, accurate, and quantitative analysis of USVs without the need for user inputs, opening the opportunity for detailed and high-throughput analysis of this behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Ho Fonseca
- Laboratory of Physiology of Behavior, Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Institute of Informatics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Gustavo M Santana
- Laboratory of Physiology of Behavior, Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Institute of Informatics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Graduate Program in Biological Sciences - Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Gabriela M Bosque Ortiz
- Laboratory of Physiology of Behavior, Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Graduate School in Arts and Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Sérgio Bampi
- Institute of Informatics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Marcelo O Dietrich
- Laboratory of Physiology of Behavior, Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Graduate Program in Biological Sciences - Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, Graduate School in Arts and Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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45
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Rocchi F, Oya H, Balezeau F, Billig AJ, Kocsis Z, Jenison RL, Nourski KV, Kovach CK, Steinschneider M, Kikuchi Y, Rhone AE, Dlouhy BJ, Kawasaki H, Adolphs R, Greenlee JDW, Griffiths TD, Howard MA, Petkov CI. Common fronto-temporal effective connectivity in humans and monkeys. Neuron 2021; 109:852-868.e8. [PMID: 33482086 PMCID: PMC7927917 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Human brain pathways supporting language and declarative memory are thought to have differentiated substantially during evolution. However, cross-species comparisons are missing on site-specific effective connectivity between regions important for cognition. We harnessed functional imaging to visualize the effects of direct electrical brain stimulation in macaque monkeys and human neurosurgery patients. We discovered comparable effective connectivity between caudal auditory cortex and both ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC, including area 44) and parahippocampal cortex in both species. Human-specific differences were clearest in the form of stronger hemispheric lateralization effects. In humans, electrical tractography revealed remarkably rapid evoked potentials in VLPFC following auditory cortex stimulation and speech sounds drove VLPFC, consistent with prior evidence in monkeys of direct auditory cortex projections to homologous vocalization-responsive regions. The results identify a common effective connectivity signature in human and nonhuman primates, which from auditory cortex appears equally direct to VLPFC and indirect to the hippocampus. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Rocchi
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
| | - Hiroyuki Oya
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
| | - Fabien Balezeau
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | | | - Zsuzsanna Kocsis
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Rick L Jenison
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Kirill V Nourski
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | | | - Mitchell Steinschneider
- Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Yukiko Kikuchi
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ariane E Rhone
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Brian J Dlouhy
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Hiroto Kawasaki
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Ralph Adolphs
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy D W Greenlee
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Timothy D Griffiths
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew A Howard
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Pappajohn Biomedical Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Christopher I Petkov
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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Minakova E, Sarafinovska S, Mikati MO, Barclay KM, McCullough KB, Dougherty JD, Al-Hasani R, Maloney SE. Ontogenetic Oxycodone Exposure Affects Early Life Communicative Behaviors, Sensorimotor Reflexes, and Weight Trajectory in Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:615798. [PMID: 33692675 PMCID: PMC7937712 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.615798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Nationwide, opioid misuse among pregnant women has risen four-fold from 1999 to 2014, with commensurate increase in neonates hospitalized for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS occurs when a fetus exposed to opioids in utero goes into rapid withdrawal after birth. NAS treatment via continued post-natal opioid exposure has been suggested to worsen neurodevelopmental outcomes. We developed a novel model to characterize the impact of in utero and prolonged post-natal oxycodone (Oxy) exposure on early behavior and development. Via subcutaneous pump implanted before breeding, C57BL/6J dams were infused with Oxy at 10 mg/kg/day from conception through pup-weaning. At birth, in utero oxy-exposed pups were either cross-fostered (paired with non-Oxy exposed dams) to model opioid abstinence (in utero Oxy) or reared by their biological dams still receiving Oxy to model continued post-natal opioid exposure (prolonged Oxy). Offspring from vehicle-exposed dams served as cross-fostered (in utero Veh) or biologically reared (prolonged Veh) controls. In utero Oxy exposure resulted in sex-dependent weight reductions and altered spectrotemporal features of isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalization (USV). Meanwhile, prolonged Oxy pups exhibited reduced weight and sex-differential delays in righting reflex. Specifically, prolonged Oxy female offspring exhibited increased latency to righting. Prolonged Oxy pups also showed decreases in number of USV calls and changes to spectrotemporal USV features. Overall, ontogenetic Oxy exposure was associated with impaired attainment of gross and sensorimotor milestones, as well as alterations in communication and affective behaviors, indicating a need for therapeutic interventions. The model developed here will enable studies of withdrawal physiology and opioid-mediated mechanisms underlying these neurodevelopmental deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Minakova
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Simona Sarafinovska
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Marwa O. Mikati
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Kia M. Barclay
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Katherine B. McCullough
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Joseph D. Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University In St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Ream Al-Hasani
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Susan E. Maloney
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University In St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
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Age-related and noise-induced hearing loss alters grasshopper mouse (Onychomys) vocalizations. Hear Res 2021; 404:108210. [PMID: 33713993 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2021.108210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Age-related and noise-induced hearing loss disorders are among the most common pathologies affecting Americans across their lifespans. Loss of auditory feedback due to hearing disorders is correlated with changes in voice and speech-motor control in humans. Although rodents are increasingly used to model human age- and noise-induced hearing loss, few studies have assessed vocal changes after acoustic trauma. Northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster) represent a candidate model because their hearing sensitivity is matched to the frequencies of long-distance vocalizations that are produced using vocal fold vibrations similar to human speech. In this study, we quantified changes in auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and vocalizations related to aging and noise-induced acoustic trauma. Mice showed a progressive decrease in hearing sensitivity across 4-32 kHz, with males losing hearing more rapidly than females. In addition, noise-exposed mice had a 61.55 dB SPL decrease in ABR sensitivity following a noise exposure, with some individuals exhibiting a 21.25 dB recovery 300-330 days after noise exposure. We also found that older grasshopper mice produced calls with lower fundamental frequency. Sex differences were measured in duration of calls with females producing longer calls with age. Our findings indicate that grasshopper mice experience age- and noise- induced hearing loss and concomitant changes in vocal output, making them a promising model for hearing and communication disorders.
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Nolan SO, Hodges SL, Okoh JT, Binder MS, Lugo JN. Prenatal High-Fat Diet Rescues Communication Deficits in Fmr1 Mutant Mice in a Sex-Specific Manner. Dev Neurosci 2021; 42:94-104. [PMID: 33395685 PMCID: PMC7864857 DOI: 10.1159/000509797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Using high-throughput analysis methods, the present study sought to determine the impact of prenatal high-fat dietary manipulations on isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalization production in both male and female Fmr1mutants on postnatal day 9. Prior to breeding, male FVB/129 Fmr1 wildtype and female Fmr1 heterozygous breeding pairs were assigned to 1 of 3 diet conditions: standard lab chow, omega-3 fatty acid-enriched chow, and a diet controlling for the fat increase. Prenatal exposure to omega-3 fatty acids improved reductions in the number of calls produced by Fmr1heterozygotes females. Moreover, diminished spectral purity in the female Fmr1homozygous mouse was rescued by exposure to both high-fat diets, although these effects were not seen in the male Fmr1knockout. Prenatal dietary fat manipulation also influenced several other aspects of vocalization production, such as the number of calls produced and their fundamental frequency, aside from effects due to loss of Fmr1.Specifically, in males, regardless of genotype, prenatal exposure to high omega-3s increased the average fundamental frequency of calls. These data support the need for future preclinical and clinical work elucidating the full potential of prenatal high-fat diets as a novel therapeutic alternative forFragile X syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne O Nolan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - Samantha L Hodges
- Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - James T Okoh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - Matthew S Binder
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - Joaquin N Lugo
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA,
- Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA,
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA,
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49
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Barker AJ, Koch U, Lewin GR, Pyott SJ. Hearing and Vocalizations in the Naked Mole-Rat. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1319:157-195. [PMID: 34424516 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Since their discovery, naked mole-rats have been speaking to us. Early field studies noted their extensive vocalizations, and scientists who are fortunate enough to spend time with these creatures in the laboratory setting cannot help but notice their constant peeping, chirruping and grunting (Hill et al., Proc Zool Soc Lond 128:455-514, 1957). Yet, few dwell on the function of these chirps and peeps, being instead drawn to the many other extraordinary aspects of naked mole-rat physiology detailed throughout this book. Still, no biology is complete without a description of how an organism communicates. While the field of naked mole-rat bioacoustics and acoustic communication has been largely silent for many years, we highlight recent progress in understanding how and what Heterocephalus glaber hears and which vocalizations it uses. These efforts are essential for a complete understanding of naked mole-rat cooperation, society and even culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison J Barker
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Max-von-Laue-Straße 4, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ursula Koch
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gary R Lewin
- Molecular Physiology of Somatic Sensation, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sonja J Pyott
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Urbanus BHA, Peter S, Fisher SE, De Zeeuw CI. Region-specific Foxp2 deletions in cortex, striatum or cerebellum cannot explain vocalization deficits observed in spontaneous global knockouts. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21631. [PMID: 33303861 PMCID: PMC7730140 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78531-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
FOXP2 has been identified as a gene related to speech in humans, based on rare mutations that yield significant impairments in speech at the level of both motor performance and language comprehension. Disruptions of the murine orthologue Foxp2 in mouse pups have been shown to interfere with production of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). However, it remains unclear which structures are responsible for these deficits. Here, we show that conditional knockout mice with selective Foxp2 deletions targeting the cerebral cortex, striatum or cerebellum, three key sites of motor control with robust neural gene expression, do not recapture the profile of pup USV deficits observed in mice with global disruptions of this gene. Moreover, we observed that global Foxp2 knockout pups show substantive reductions in USV production as well as an overproduction of short broadband noise “clicks”, which was not present in the brain region-specific knockouts. These data indicate that deficits of Foxp2 expression in the cortex, striatum or cerebellum cannot solely explain the disrupted vocalization behaviours in global Foxp2 knockouts. Our findings raise the possibility that the impact of Foxp2 disruption on USV is mediated at least in part by effects of this gene on the anatomical prerequisites for vocalizing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saša Peter
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Simon E Fisher
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Chris I De Zeeuw
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. .,Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, KNAW, 1105 CA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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