Male mice song syntax depends on social contexts and influences female preferences

Abstract

In 2005, Holy and Guo advanced the idea that male mice produce ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) with some features similar to courtship songs of songbirds. Since then, studies showed that male mice emit USV songs in different contexts (sexual and other) and possess a multisyllabic repertoire. Debate still exists for and against plasticity in their vocalizations. But the use of a multisyllabic repertoire can increase potential flexibility and information, in how elements are organized and recombined, namely syntax. In many bird species, modulating song syntax has ethological relevance for sexual behavior and mate preferences. In this study we exposed adult male mice to different social contexts and developed a new approach of analyzing their USVs based on songbird syntax analysis. We found that male mice modify their syntax, including specific sequences, length of sequence, repertoire composition, and spectral features, according to stimulus and social context. Males emit longer and simpler syllables and sequences when singing to females, but more complex syllables and sequences in response to fresh female urine. Playback experiments show that the females prefer the complex songs over the simpler ones. We propose the complex songs are to lure females in, whereas the directed simpler sequences are used for direct courtship. These results suggest that although mice have a much more limited ability of song modification, they could still be used as animal models for understanding some vocal communication features that songbirds are used for.

An Unheard, Inhuman Music: Narrative Voice and the Question of the Animal in Kafka’s “Josephine, the Singer or the Mouse Folk”

“…Conversely, if we apply Sheehan's definition to the songs of mice, the question arises: can we identify a "voice-machine complex" there as well? Arguably, this is precisely what the 2015 study mentioned at the outset (Chabout et al 2015) revealed: namely that the songs of mice are not, in fact, simply mechanical and repetitive, but rather vary according to complex social cues and environmental circumstances. Moreover, these ultrasonic vocalizations seem to comprise both innate and learned elements (cf.…”

“…In 2015, a study published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience reported that not only do male mice sing songs to attract females, but that these songs are syntactically complex and vary according to social context, placing mice in the same category as songbirds (Chabout et al 2015). The principal difference is that, unlike birds, mice sing at ultrasonic frequencies (30-120 kHz), and so their songs are inaudible to the human ear.…”

Decreased approach behavior and nucleus accumbens immediate early gene expression in response to Parkinsonian ultrasonic vocalizations in rats

“…The small differences between the tracks in the proportion and number of USVs were due to our sampling of unmodified strings. This sampling method maintained the organization of multiple, rapid vocalizations, which may be important to preserve semantic information in rodents (Chabout, Sarkar, Dunson, & Jarvis, 2015; Holy & Guo, 2005). To reproduce the natural USV intensity, playback intensity of the USV tracks (measured 20 cm from the speaker) was set such that USV intensity was equivalent to recordings.…”

Social Ultrasonic Vocalization in Awake Head-Restrained Mouse

“…These ultrasonic vocalization (USV) syllables mostly consist of single or dual narrow-band frequency chirps with rapid frequency jumps, creating complex spectral structure (Holy and Guo, 2005; Egnor and Seagraves, 2016; Matsumoto and Okanoya, 2016). Several studies have found that mice modify their syllable content in response to different cues and social situations (Yang et al, 2013; Chabout et al, 2015; Mun et al, 2015; Gaub et al, 2016; Grimsley et al, 2016; Seagraves et al, 2016). …”