Neurofunctional Asymmetries and Vocal Perception

描述(申请人提供)：人们普遍认为，语言功能在人脑中是不对称地处理的，左半球占主导地位。人们认为，这种偏侧化使人们能够快速感知、组织和产生复杂的声音信号，这些信号是人类口语所必需的。对于那些对人类言语的行为和神经底物的进化感兴趣的人来说，研究这种神经偏侧化的系统起源是非常必要的。解决这个问题的一种方法是研究非人灵长类动物声音信号的感知和处理所涉及的神经解剖结构。功能神经成像技术的进步现在使在体内检查这些系统成为可能。提出了以下项目，以确定黑猩猩是否通过左侧化机制感知和处理交流中突出的发声。为了实现这一目标，正电子发射断层扫描(PET)将被用来在感知同种发声的同时可视化黑猩猩的神经元活动。

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.