scholarly journals High-field Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Vocalization Processing in Marmosets

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srivatsun Sadagopan ◽  
Nesibe Z Temiz ◽  
Henning U Voss
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
High Field ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Common Marmoset ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Temporal Pole ◽  
Vocalization Type ◽  
The Common

Vocalizations are behaviorally critical sounds, and this behavioral importance is reflected in the ascending auditory system, where conspecific vocalizations are increasingly over-represented at higher processing stages. Recent evidence suggests that, in macaques, this increasing selectivity for vocalizations might culminate in a cortical region that is densely populated by vocalization-preferring neurons. Such a region might be a critical node in the representation of vocal communication sounds, underlying the recognition of vocalization type, caller and social context. These results raise the questions of whether cortical specializations for vocalization processing exist in other species, their cortical location, and their relationship to the auditory processing hierarchy. To explore cortical specializations for vocalizations in another species, we performed high-field fMRI of the auditory cortex of a vocal New World primate, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Using a sparse imaging paradigm, we discovered a caudal-rostral gradient for the processing of conspecific vocalizations in marmoset auditory cortex, with regions of the anterior temporal lobe close to the temporal pole exhibiting the highest preference for vocalizations. These results demonstrate similar cortical specializations for vocalization processing in macaques and marmosets, suggesting that cortical specializations for vocal processing might have evolved before the lineages of these species diverged.

Sensory-Motor Interaction in the Primate Auditory Cortex During Self-Initiated Vocalizations

2003 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 2194-2207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Eliades ◽  
Xiaoqin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Common Marmoset ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Hearing Sensitivity ◽  
Sensory Motor ◽  
Excitatory Responses ◽  
Motor Interaction

Little is known about sensory-motor interaction in the auditory cortex of primates at the level of single neurons and its role in supporting vocal communication. The present study investigated single-unit activities in the auditory cortex of a vocal primate, the common marmoset ( Callithrix jacchus), during self-initiated vocalizations. We found that 1) self-initiated vocalizations resulted in suppression of neural discharges in a majority of auditory cortical neurons. The vocalization-induced inhibition suppressed both spontaneous and stimulus-driven discharges. Suppressed units responded poorly to external acoustic stimuli during vocalization. 2) Vocalization-induced suppression began several hundred milliseconds prior to the onset of vocalization. 3) The suppression of cortical discharges reduced neural firings to below the rates expected from a unit's rate-level function, adjusted for known subcortical attenuation, and therefore was likely not entirely caused by subcortical attenuation mechanisms. 4) A smaller population of auditory cortical neurons showed increased discharges during self-initiated vocalizations. This vocalization-related excitation began after the onset of vocalization and is likely the result of acoustic feedback. Units showing this excitation responded nearly normally to external stimuli during vocalization. Based on these findings, we propose that the suppression of auditory cortical neurons, possibly originating from cortical vocal production centers, acts to increase the dynamic range of cortical responses to vocalization feedback for self monitoring. The excitatory responses, on the other hand, likely play a role in maintaining hearing sensitivity to the external acoustic environment during vocalization.

Frequency representations and connections of the auditory cortex in the common marmoset ()

1988 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. S23
Author(s):  
Lindsay M. Aitkin ◽  
Motoi Kudo ◽  
Dexter R.F. Irvine
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Common Marmoset ◽  
The Common

scholarly journals Functional localization of the frontal eye fields in the common marmoset using microstimulation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janahan Selvanayagam ◽  
Kevin D. Johnston ◽  
David J. Schaeffer ◽  
Lauren K. Hayrynen ◽  
Stefan Everling
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Common Marmoset ◽  
Frontal Eye Field ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Primate Model ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Eye Field ◽  
The Common

AbstractThe frontal eye field (FEF) is a critical region for the deployment of overt and covert spatial attention. While investigations in the macaque continue to provide insight into the neural underpinnings of the FEF, due to its location within a sulcus the macaque FEF is virtually inaccessible to electrophysiological techniques such as high-density and laminar recordings. With a largely lissencephalic cortex, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a promising alternative primate model for studying FEF microcircuitry. Putative homologies have been established with the macaque FEF on the basis of cytoarchitecture and connectivity, however physiological investigation in awake, behaving marmosets is necessary to physiologically locate this area. Here we addressed this gap using intracortical microstimulation in a broad range of frontal cortical areas in marmosets. We implanted marmosets with 96-channel Utah arrays and applied microstimulation trains while they freely viewed video clips. We evoked short-latency fixed vector saccades at low currents (<50 μA) in areas 45, 8aV, 8C and 6DR. We observed a topography of saccade direction and amplitude consistent with findings in macaques and humans; we observed small saccades in ventrolateral FEF and large saccades combined with contralateral neck and shoulder movements encoded in dorsomedial FEF. Our data provide compelling evidence supporting homology between marmoset and macaque FEF and suggest the marmoset is a useful primate model for investigating FEF microcircuitry and its contributions to oculomotor and cognitive functions.Significance StatementThe frontal eye field (FEF) is a critical cortical region for overt and covert spatial attention. The microcircuitry of this area remains poorly understood, as in the macaque, the most commonly used model, it is embedded within a sulcus and is inaccessible to modern electrophysiological and optical imaging techniques. The common marmoset is a promising alternative primate model due to its lissencephalic cortex and potential for genetic manipulation. However, evidence for homologous cortical areas in this model remains limited and unclear. Here we applied microstimulation in frontal cortical areas in marmosets to physiologically identify the FEF. Our results provide compelling evidence for a frontal eye field in the marmoset, and suggest that the marmoset is a useful model for FEF microcircuitry.

Functional organization and hemispheric comparison of primary auditory cortex in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

2005 ◽  
Vol 487 (4) ◽  
pp. 391-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bénédicte Philibert ◽  
Ralph E. Beitel ◽  
Srikantan S. Nagarajan ◽  
Ben H. Bonham ◽  
Christoph E. Schreiner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Primary Auditory Cortex ◽  
Common Marmoset ◽  
Callithrix Jacchus ◽  
The Common

scholarly journals Norepinephrine enhances song responsiveness and encoding in the auditory forebrain of male zebra finches

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Lee ◽  
Benjamin A. Pawlisch ◽  
Matheus Macedo-Lima ◽  
Luke Remage-Healey
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Response Strength ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Zebra Finches ◽  
Auditory Response ◽  
Males And Females

Norepinephrine (NE) can dynamically modulate excitability and functional connectivity of neural circuits in response to changes in external and internal states. Regulation by NE has been demonstrated extensively in mammalian sensory cortices, but whether NE-dependent modulation in sensory cortex alters response properties in downstream sensorimotor regions is less clear. Here we examine this question in male zebra finches, a songbird species with complex vocalizations and a well-defined neural network for auditory processing of those vocalizations. We test the hypothesis that NE modulates auditory processing and encoding, using paired extracellular electrophysiology recordings and pattern classifier analyses. We report that a NE infusion into the auditory cortical region NCM (caudomedial nidopallium; analogous to mammalian secondary auditory cortex) enhances the auditory responses, burst firing, and coding properties of single NCM neurons. Furthermore, we report that NE-dependent changes in NCM coding properties, but not auditory response strength, are transmitted downstream to the sensorimotor nucleus HVC. Finally, NE modulation in the NCM of males is qualitatively similar to that observed in females: in both sexes, NE increases auditory response strengths. However, we observed a sex difference in the mechanism of enhancement: whereas NE increases response strength in females by decreasing baseline firing rates, NE increases response strength in males by increasing auditory-evoked activity. Therefore, NE signaling exhibits a compensatory sex difference to achieve a similar, state-dependent enhancement in signal-to-noise ratio and coding accuracy in males and females. In summary, our results provide further evidence for adrenergic regulation of sensory processing and modulation of auditory/sensorimotor functional connectivity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study documents that the catecholamine norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline) acts in the auditory cortex to shape local processing of complex sound stimuli. Moreover, it also enhances the coding accuracy of neurons in the auditory cortex as well as in the downstream sensorimotor cortex. Finally, this study shows that while the sensory-enhancing effects of norepinephrine are similar in males and females, there are sex differences in the mode of action.

scholarly journals Harmonic template neurons in primate auditory cortex underlying complex sound processing

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. E840-E848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Feng ◽  
Xiaoqin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Common Marmoset ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Sound Processing ◽  
Harmonic Complex ◽  
Complex Sound ◽  
Complex Sounds ◽  
Animal Vocalizations ◽  
The Common ◽  
Hearing Range

Harmonicity is a fundamental element of music, speech, and animal vocalizations. How the auditory system extracts harmonic structures embedded in complex sounds and uses them to form a coherent unitary entity is not fully understood. Despite the prevalence of sounds rich in harmonic structures in our everyday hearing environment, it has remained largely unknown what neural mechanisms are used by the primate auditory cortex to extract these biologically important acoustic structures. In this study, we discovered a unique class of harmonic template neurons in the core region of auditory cortex of a highly vocal New World primate, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), across the entire hearing frequency range. Marmosets have a rich vocal repertoire and a similar hearing range to that of humans. Responses of these neurons show nonlinear facilitation to harmonic complex sounds over inharmonic sounds, selectivity for particular harmonic structures beyond two-tone combinations, and sensitivity to harmonic number and spectral regularity. Our findings suggest that the harmonic template neurons in auditory cortex may play an important role in processing sounds with harmonic structures, such as animal vocalizations, human speech, and music.

Frequency representation in auditory cortex of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus jacchus)

1986 ◽  
Vol 252 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay M. Aitkin ◽  
Michael M. Merzenich ◽  
Dexter R. F. Irvine ◽  
Janine C. Clarey ◽  
John E. Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Common Marmoset ◽  
Callithrix Jacchus ◽  
Frequency Representation ◽  
The Common ◽  
Callithrix Jacchus Jacchus

scholarly journals Sound Frequency Representation in the Auditory Cortex of the Common Marmoset Visualized Using Optical Intrinsic Signal Imaging

eNeuro ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. ENEURO.0078-18.2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiki Tani ◽  
Hiroshi Abe ◽  
Taku Hayami ◽  
Taku Banno ◽  
Naohisa Miyakawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Common Marmoset ◽  
Sound Frequency ◽  
Intrinsic Signal ◽  
Optical Intrinsic Signal ◽  
Frequency Representation ◽  
The Common

scholarly journals Close range vocal interaction in the common marmoset (Callithrix Jacchus)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Landman ◽  
J. Sharma ◽  
J.B. Hyman ◽  
A. Fanucci-Kiss ◽  
O. Meisner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Spectral Properties ◽  
Home Cage ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Common Marmoset ◽  
Call Rate ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Antiphonal Calling ◽  
Close Range ◽  
The Common

AbstractVocal communication in animals often involves taking turns vocalizing. In humans, turn taking is a fundamental rule in conversation. Among non-human primates, the common marmoset is known to engage in antiphonal calling using phee calls and trill calls. Calls of the trill type are the most common, yet difficult to study, because they are not very loud and uttered in conditions when animals are in close proximity to one another. Here we recorded trill calls in captive pair-housed marmosets using wearable microphones, while the animals were together with their partner or separated, but within trill call range. Trills were exchanged mainly with the partner and not with other animals in the room. Animals placed outside the home cage increased their trill call rate and uttered more trills in response more to their partner. The fundamental frequency, F0, of trills increased when animals were placed outside the cage. Our results indicate that trill calls can be monitored using wearable audio equipment. Relatively minor changes in social context affect trill call interactions and spectral properties of trill calls, indicating that marmosets can communicate subtle information to their partner vocally.

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