On the Role of the Pontine Brainstem in Vocal Pattern Generation: A Telemetric Single-Unit Recording Study in the Squirrel Monkey

Hage, Steffen R.; Jürgens, Uwe

doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1024-06.2006

Cited by 78 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Here future investigations will have to elucidate whether neurons in BA 6 show call pattern-correlated activity when call patterns are correlated with neuronal activity not long before but during the vocal output. Such pattern can be found in other brain structures that are involved in the vocal motor control such as the periaqueductal grey 32 and the ventrolateral reticular formation 6 . In contrast to cells in BA 44/45, neurons in the adjacent ventrorostral premotor cortex (BA 6vr) show peak changes in their discharge rates around the vocal onset.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…The premotor cortex in non-human primates lacks direct projections to laryngeal motoneuron pools 5,7,43 . Further, primate vocalizations are produced by an extrapyramidal neuronal network, which is coordinating the phonatory motoneuron pools by vocal pattern generators in the lower brainstem 5,6 . Nevertheless, the larynx area of the premotor cortex has anatomical connections to the vocal motor system on several subcortical as well as cortical levels such as the ventrolateral reticular formation, the periaqueductal grey as well as the ACC, respectively 41,42,44 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Brain damage in this region causes dysfunctions or severe impairment of speech and language production, known as Broca's aphasia 3,4 . In contrast to human speech, evidence suggest that vocalizations of non-human primates may be genetically pre-programmed and generated by a complex neuronal network in the brainstem [5][6][7] . Lesions in the cortical brain structures of monkeys have no or only mild effects on spontaneous call behaviour 5,[8][9][10][11] .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Single neurons in monkey prefrontal cortex encode volitional initiation of vocalizations

2013

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Broca's area in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) has a crucial role in human volitional speech production; damage to this area causes severe impairment of speech production. Lesions in PFC of monkeys, however, have only mild effects on spontaneous vocal behaviour. Non-human primate vocalizations are thus believed to constitute affective utterances processed by a subcortical network. Here in contrast to this assumption, we show that rhesus monkeys can control their vocalizations in a goal-directed way. During single-cell recordings in the vlPFC of monkeys trained to vocalize in response to visual cues, we find call-related neurons that specifically predict the preparation of instructed vocalizations. The activity of many call-related neurons before vocal output correlates with call parameters of instructed vocalizations. These findings suggest a cardinal role of the monkey homologue of Broca's area in vocal planning and call initiation, a putative phylogenetic precursor in non-human primates for speech control in linguistic humans.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Single neurons in monkey prefrontal cortex encode volitional initiation of vocalizations

2013

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“…Consequently, the shifts in amplitude and frequency that we found have to be implemented within the neuronal network involved in vocal motor control to avoid such reflectory compensation. Several multimodal structures have been identified within the brainstem of bats and other mammals that may serve as candidates for audiovocal integration (42), such as the ventrolateral reticular formation (43,44), the parabrachial region (45), the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (46,47), the paralemniscal area (48,49), and the external nucleus of the inferior colliculus (50). Further studies will tackle the questions of if and how these structures are involved in the neural adjustments governing the Lombard effect and the associated frequency changes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ambient noise induces independent shifts in call frequency and amplitude within the Lombard effect in echolocating bats

Hage

Jiang

Berquist

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

126

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The Lombard effect, an involuntary rise in call amplitude in response to masking ambient noise, represents one of the most efficient mechanisms to optimize signal-to-noise ratio. The Lombard effect occurs in birds and mammals, including humans, and is often associated with several other vocal changes, such as call frequency and duration. Most studies, however, have focused on noisedependent changes in call amplitude. It is therefore still largely unknown how the adaptive changes in call amplitude relate to associated vocal changes such as frequency shifts, how the underlying mechanisms are linked, and if auditory feedback from the changing vocal output is needed. Here, we examined the Lombard effect and the associated changes in call frequency in a highly vocal mammal, echolocating horseshoe bats. We analyzed how bandpassfiltered noise (BFN; bandwidth 20 kHz) affected their echolocation behavior when BFN was centered on different frequencies within their hearing range. Call amplitudes increased only when BFN was centered on the dominant frequency component of the bats' calls. In contrast, call frequencies increased for all but one BFN center frequency tested. Both amplitude and frequency rises were extremely fast and occurred in the first call uttered after noise onset, suggesting that no auditory feedback was required. The different effects that varying the BFN center frequency had on amplitude and frequency rises indicate different neural circuits and/or mechanisms underlying these changes.A ny transmission of signals between sender and receiver faces the challenge of being subjected to masking by noise. For acoustic signals, for example, animals have evolved several strategies that aid in increasing the signal-to-noise ratio, thus facilitating signal transmission. One of the most efficient mechanisms is the socalled Lombard effect, i.e., the involuntary rise in call amplitude in response to masking ambient noise (1). This effect was first described in human communication a century ago (2) and has since been found in several species of birds (3-11) and various mammals (12-17), including bats (18). In human speech, several vocal changes, such as a rise in fundamental frequency (19) or lengthening in word duration (20), are often accompanied with the Lombard effect; combined, these changes are referred to as Lombard speech (21). Vocal changes associated with the Lombard effect have rarely been analyzed in animal species. So far, noisedependent changes in call frequency have been observed in birds (8,11,22), and changes in call duration in birds and monkeys (8,12).Most animal studies, however, have focused on noise-dependent changes in call amplitude and do not examine other possible vocal changes (2-5, 7, 9, 10, 15-17). It is therefore still largely unknown how the adaptive changes in call amplitude relate to frequency shifts or call elongation and how the underlying mechanisms are linked. It is also unknown if auditory feedback from the changing vocal output is needed to drive the Lombard effect in general.Over...

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“…Figure 3 shows the differences among normal speech, MTD, and stuttering blocks in AWS. In normal speech, the respiratory centers in the pons and medulla oblongata are synchronized with the laryngeal motor neurons, and timing cues for the initiation are emitted from the speech centers in the cerebral hemispheres, resulting in vocal fold adduction followed by the generation of speech [19][20][21]. MTD may be due to excessive neural commands responsible for vocal fold adduction, which are emitted by laryngeal motor neurons in the pons and medulla oblongata.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Vocal Fold Motion During Blocks in Adults Who Stutter

Kikuchi¹,

Toshiro²,

Adachi³

et al. 2018

Int Arch Commun Disord

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with age [1,2]. Blocks occur unexpectedly, even for AWS themselves, and can also halt normal inspiration and expiration. This symptom resembles the chief complaints ("voice not coming out" and "clogged voice") made by patients with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) and adductor spasmodic dysphonia (AdSD). A systematic review of voice therapy in MTD showed that there were positive changes to outcome measures immediately following a period of therapy [3], and that therapy for MTD continued to be effective for 6 months after the completion of therapy [4]. However, speech therapy for adults who stutter (AWS) is limited [5]. Stuttering is readily modified during treatment in the clinic, but this gain is difficult to transfer outside of the clinic; when it does transfer, the effect does not last long [6].There have been many empirical studies, as well as theoretical descriptions, of the role of larynx during stuttering [7,8]. However, more objective information regarding the nature of laryngeal behavior during actual instances of stuttering is needed. The two general aspects of laryngeal activity for speech include phonation vibration [9] and abductory-adductory adjustment of the glottal aperture for voicing distinctions [10]. The latter adjustments are more likely to be related to the physiological disruptions associated with stuttering. MTD is a condition characterized by increased tension in the (para-) laryngeal muscles [11], often involving glottis closure. Very few studies have examined vocal fold moAbstract Background: Stuttering is a speech disorder; the primary symptom in adults who stutter (AWS) is blocks, which halt both speech and breathing. This study aimed to evaluate vocal fold motion during blocks in AWS, in order to better understand this condition.

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On the Role of the Pontine Brainstem in Vocal Pattern Generation: A Telemetric Single-Unit Recording Study in the Squirrel Monkey

Cited by 78 publications

References 52 publications

Single neurons in monkey prefrontal cortex encode volitional initiation of vocalizations

Single neurons in monkey prefrontal cortex encode volitional initiation of vocalizations

Ambient noise induces independent shifts in call frequency and amplitude within the Lombard effect in echolocating bats

Evaluation of Vocal Fold Motion During Blocks in Adults Who Stutter

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