Neurofunctional Asymmetries and Vocal Perception

描述（由申请人提供）：人们普遍认为，人类大脑的语言功能是不对称的，以左半球为主。据信，这种侧化使人类能够快速感知、组织和产生复杂的声音信号，而这些信号对人类口语至关重要。对于那些对人类语言的行为和神经基础的进化感兴趣的人来说，检查这种神经侧化的系统发育起源是必要的。解决这一问题的一种方法是研究涉及非人类灵长类动物声音信号感知和处理的神经解剖结构。功能神经成像技术的进步使得在体内检查这些系统成为可能。下面的项目被提出，以确定是否黑猩猩，类人猿，感知和处理沟通显著发声通过左偏侧机制。为了实现这一目标，正电子发射断层扫描（PET）将被用于观察黑猩猩在感知同一发声时的神经元活动。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): It is commonly accepted that language functions are processed asymmetrically in the human brain, with the left hemisphere dominant. It is believed that this lateralization enables the rapid perception, organization, and production of the complex acoustic signals that are essential for human spoken language. For those interested in the evolution of both the behavioral and neurological substrates of human speech, it is imperative to examine the phylogenetic origins of this neural lateralization. One way to approach this issue is to study the neuroanatomical structures involved in the perception and processing of nonhuman primate vocal signals. Advances in functional neural imaging techniques now make it possible to examine these systems in vivo. The following project is proposed to determine whether or not chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, perceive and process communicatively salient vocalizations via a left- lateralized mechanism. To accomplish this aim, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) will be used to visualize neuronal activity in chimpanzees while perceiving conspecific vocalizations.