A voice region in the monkey brain

Abstract

For vocal animals, recognizing species-specific vocalizations is important for survival and social interactions. In humans, a voice region has been identified that is sensitive to human voices and vocalizations. As this region also strongly responds to speech, it is unclear whether it is tightly associated with linguistic processing and is thus unique to humans. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging of macaque monkeys (Old World primates, Macaca mulatta) we discovered a high-level auditory region that prefers species-specific vocalizations over other vocalizations and sounds. This region not only showed sensitivity to the 'voice' of the species, but also to the vocal identify of conspecific individuals. The monkey voice region is located on the superior-temporal plane and belongs to an anterior auditory 'what' pathway. These results establish functional relationships with the human voice region and support the notion that, for different primate species, the anterior temporal regions of the brain are adapted for recognizing communication signals from conspecifics.

Widespread and Opponent fMRI Signals Represent Sound Location in Macaque Auditory Cortex

“…Furthermore, lesions to the right hemisphere in humans can result in spatial hemi-neglect (Bisiach et al, 1984). In monkeys, previous neuroimaging work has focused on hemispheric biases for vocal sounds (Gil-da-Costa et al, 2006; Ortiz-Rios et al, 2015; Petkov et al, 2008; Poremba et al, 2004); however, until now, no functional MRI study in monkeys utilizing spatial sounds had been performed. In our present study, we found a dynamic BOLD modulation in both hemispheres for spatial (non-vocal) broad-band noise sounds.…”

Implications of blast exposure for central auditory function: A review

“…Petkov et al discovered distinct regions of temporal cortex in the brains of Macaque monkeys sensitive to vocalizations and musical instruments [23]. Similarly, Leaver and Rauschecker demonstrated that regions of the human auditory cortex are selective for human speech and musical instrument sounds, suggesting that the other patterns of sensitivity revealed in primate brains may exist in the human auditory cortex as well [24].…”

“…As shown schematically in the Figure, Schematic representation of organization of central auditory system [15,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29].…”

“…While the precise organization of the human auditory cortex is not well understood and currently under intense study, the primary auditory cortex in mammals has been found to be surrounded by as many as 11 distinct regions, each devoted to processing a particular functional dimension of auditory information [22][23]. Petkov et al discovered distinct regions of temporal cortex in the brains of Macaque monkeys sensitive to vocalizations and musical instruments [23].…”

The neurobiology of primate vocal communication

“…A functional imaging study using macaques compared auditory responses to their own species-specific calls with control sounds that had the same spectral profile and duration, other animal vocalizations and natural sounds [19]. Macaques, it seems, do have a voice area that is especially sensitive to conspecific vocalizations in the same manner as the human voice region [20] (though the anatomical location is different; [21]).…”