The role of ultrasonic vocalizations in mouse communication

Portfors, Christine V.; Perkel, David J.

doi:10.1016/j.conb.2014.07.002

Cited by 156 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…However, it should be appreciated that unlike speech and birdsong, vocal behaviors in mice are not learned from social models using auditory feedback. For instance, deaf mice can develop normal vocalizations (Portfors and Perkel, 2014). This lack of vocal learning limits the use of mice for modeling speech development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into the Neural and Genetic Basis of Vocal Communication

Konopka

Roberts

2016

Cell

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The use of vocalizations to communicate information and elaborate social bonds is an adaptation seen in many vertebrate species. Human speech is an extreme version of this pervasive form of communication. Unlike the vocalizations exhibited by the majority of land vertebrates, speech is a learned behavior requiring early sensory exposure and auditory feedback for its development and maintenance. Studies in humans and a small number of other species have provided insights into the neural and genetic basis for learned vocal communication and are helping to delineate the roles of brain circuits across the cortex, basal ganglia and cerebellum in generating vocal behaviors. This Review provides an outline of the current knowledge about these circuits, the genes implicated in vocal communication, and a perspective on future research directions in this field.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into the Neural and Genetic Basis of Vocal Communication

Konopka

Roberts

2016

Cell

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“…Mouse ultrasonic vocalizations are now currently used as a proxy for modeling the genetic bases of vocal communication deficits 3,4 (but the existence of vocal learning in this species is still debated 5,6 , even if most recent studies argue for the absence of vocal learning 7 ). Laboratory mice have been found to emit ultrasonic vocalizations in mother-infant relationships, in male-female socio-sexual interactions, in same-sex social interactions (reviewed in reference 8 ) and in juvenile-juvenile social interactions 9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recording Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalizations to Evaluate Social Communication

Ferhat

Torquet

Sourd

et al. 2016

JoVE

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Mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations in different contexts throughout development and in adulthood. These vocal signals are now currently used as proxies for modeling the genetic bases of vocal communication deficits. Characterizing the vocal behavior of mouse models carrying mutations in genes associated with neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorders will help to understand the mechanisms leading to social communication deficits. We provide here protocols to reliably elicit ultrasonic vocalizations in pups and in adult mice. This standardization will help reduce inter-study variability due to the experimental settings. Pup isolation calls are recorded throughout development from individual pups isolated from dam and littermates. In adulthood, vocalizations are recorded during same-sex interactions (without a sexual component) by exposing socially motivated males or females to an unknown same-sex conspecific. We also provide a protocol to record vocalizations from adult males exposed to an estrus female. In this context, there is a sexual component in the interaction. These protocols are established to elicit a large amount of ultrasonic vocalizations in laboratory mice. However, we point out the important inter-individual variability in the vocal behavior of mice, which should be taken into account by recording a minimal number of individuals (at least 12 in each condition). These recordings of ultrasonic vocalizations are used to evaluate the call rate, the vocal repertoire and the acoustic structure of the calls. Data are combined with the analysis of synchronous video recordings to provide a more complete view on social communication in mice. These protocols are used to characterize the vocal communication deficits in mice lacking ProSAP1/Shank2 , a gene associated with autism spectrum disorders. More ultrasonic vocalizations recordings can also be found on the mouseTube database, developed to favor the exchange of such data.

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“…Whereas adult mice call during courtship, mating, and territorial disputes, newborn mice use vocalization to communicate with their mothers (2,3). Newborn mice, when isolated, produce ultrasonic calls (USCs) that elicit search and retrieval behavior by their mothers.…”

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confidence: 99%

Genetic identification of a hindbrain nucleus essential for innate vocalization

Hernández-Miranda

Ruffault

Bouvier

et al. 2017

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

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Vocalization in young mice is an innate response to isolation or mechanical stimulation. Neuronal circuits that control vocalization and breathing overlap and rely on motor neurons that innervate laryngeal and expiratory muscles, but the brain center that coordinates these motor neurons has not been identified. Here, we show that the hindbrain nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) is essential for vocalization in mice. By generating genetically modified newborn mice that specifically lack excitatory NTS neurons, we show that they are both mute and unable to produce the expiratory drive required for vocalization. Furthermore, the muteness of these newborns results in maternal neglect. We also show that neurons of the NTS directly connect to and entrain the activity of spinal (L1) and nucleus ambiguus motor pools located at positions where expiratory and laryngeal motor neurons reside. These motor neurons control expiratory pressure and laryngeal tension, respectively, thereby establishing the essential biomechanical parameters used for vocalization. In summary, our work demonstrates that the NTS is an obligatory component of the neuronal circuitry that transforms breaths into calls.V ocalization is the primary mechanism used by many vertebrate species for communication (1). Whereas adult mice call during courtship, mating, and territorial disputes, newborn mice use vocalization to communicate with their mothers (2, 3). Newborn mice, when isolated, produce ultrasonic calls (USCs) that elicit search and retrieval behavior by their mothers. Thus, vocalizations of newborn mice represent an innate behavior that is thought to rely on a genetically determined circuit. Such innate vocalizations are reminiscent of nonverbal utterances of humans like laughing, crying, sighing, and moaning.The central circuits that control vocalization have been widely studied in adult vertebrates, where they overlap in their executive components with respiratory circuits (4). Forebrain pathways that control the frequency and sequence of ultrasounds in mice are not essential for innate vocalization (5, 6); rather, it is the periaqueductal gray in the midbrain that modulates the activity of motor neurons in the hindbrain and spinal cord to implement calls and modulate breathing (7,8). Calls are shaped through a biomechanical process that involves variations in subglottal air pressure and laryngeal muscle tension (9, 10). Expiration is an important determinant of subglottal air pressure (11), suggesting that expiratory muscle activity and laryngeal tension are highly coordinated during vocalization. However, because expiratory and laryngeal motor neurons are located at markedly different axial levels of the nervous system, in the spinal cord (T11-L1 levels, expiratory) and hindbrain (nucleus ambiguus, laryngeal), how the activities of these motor pools are coordinated is unclear (12, 13). More importantly, the identity and location of functionally important premotor neurons for vocalization are little known.Using mouse genetics to investigate the ...

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The role of ultrasonic vocalizations in mouse communication

Cited by 156 publications

References 60 publications

Insights into the Neural and Genetic Basis of Vocal Communication

Insights into the Neural and Genetic Basis of Vocal Communication

Recording Mouse Ultrasonic Vocalizations to Evaluate Social Communication

Genetic identification of a hindbrain nucleus essential for innate vocalization

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