Neural mechanisms of animal vocalization and communication

该提案涉及啮齿动物发声和动物在声音交流中使用的代码。研究了大鼠产生超声波发声的脑机制以及这些发声对其他大鼠的交流意义。研究了成年大鼠的两种主要叫声：长警报叫声和短社交叫声。本研究的目标是：(1)提供证据证明每种发声类型都需要不同的大脑子系统的活动，这些子系统使用不同的化学密码。警报信号是基于大脑中乙酰胆碱的使用，而社交信号是基于多巴胺的使用。这两种神经化学物质都是从大脑中特定神经通路的末端释放出来的。该项目还旨在(2)识别产生和释放这些神经化学物质并直接参与发声的活跃脑细胞。除此之外，(3)该提案还包括行为研究，旨在提供证据，证明老鼠可以清楚地区分不同类型的叫声，甚至可以识别出群体中单个老鼠的叫声。最后(4)该提案包含了从婴儿到成人的个体发声发展的研究计划。这项提议的最终目标是将这些研究扩展到其他物种，包括人类。本研究有可能揭示人类婴儿啼哭的脑机制和人类情感声音表达的发展。这也将有助于我们了解人类语言的情感色彩和哺乳动物非语言语音交流的进化发展。

The proposal concerns rodent vocalization and the code used by animals in vocal communication. Brain mechanisms involved in the production of ultrasonic vocalizations in the rat and the communicative significance, or "meaning" of these vocalizations for other rats are studied. Two main types of calls in adult rats are studied: the long alarm calls and the short social calls. The objectives of the proposed research are (1) to provide evidence that each of the vocalization types requires activity of a different brain subsystem, which uses different chemical code. The alarm calls are based on the utilization of the brain chemical known as acetylcholine and the social calls on the chemical known as dopamine. Both of these neurochemicals are released in the brain from terminals of specific neuronal pathways. The project also aims at (2) identifying active brain cells, which produce and release these neurochemicals and are directly involved in production of vocalizations. In addition to that, (3) the proposal includes behavioural studies, which are designed to provide evidence that rats can clearly distinguish different types of their calls and can even recognize calls of individual rats within their group. Finally (4) the proposal contains plans for studies of individual development of vocalizations from infants to adults. The ultimate goal of this proposal is to extend these studies to other species, including man. This research has a potential to reveal brain mechanism of human infant cry and development of vocal expression of human emotions. It will also contribute to our knowledge of the evolutionary development of emotional coloration of speech in humans and non-verbal vocal communication in mammalian species.