Neural mechanisms of animal vocalization and communication

该研究计划涉及大鼠的声音交流。发声被用作一种测量工具，使我们能够研究情绪状态的大脑机制。老鼠通过超声波进行交流，这超出了人类的听觉范围。然而，它们的叫声是由与人类大脑相似的（同源的）大脑结构产生和控制的，这些大脑结构涉及我们情绪状态的情绪唤起和声音表达。拟议的研究集中在两个递质系统（多巴胺能和胆碱能）起源于脑干（被盖）和神经支配结构产生情绪唤醒和发射的发声，携带信息给其他大鼠。多巴胺能系统的活动以50 kHz的呼叫发射启动食欲（愉快）状态，而胆碱能系统的活动以22 kHz的呼叫发射启动厌恶（不愉快）状态。这些发声传递给其他老鼠的信息，并在研究中用作测量相关大脑系统的活动和生物体的最终状态。该提案包括研究多巴胺能和胆碱能系统之间的相互作用，以及允许大脑选择和启动食欲或厌恶状态的机制，但不是两者兼而有之。该项目还包括对控制情绪状态的其他大脑系统（下丘脑）的研究。编码在发声（符号内容）的信息，以及他们从婴儿到成年的发展，也将被研究，沿着整个相同年龄的多巴胺能和胆碱能递质系统的发展。

The program of research concerns vocal communication in rats. Vocalizations are used as a measuring tool allowing us to study brain mechanisms of emotional states. Rats communicate by ultrasonic calls, which are beyond the hearing range of humans. However, their calls are produced and controlled by similar (homologue) brain structures to those in the human brain that are involved in emotional arousal and vocal expression of our emotional states. The proposed research is focused on two transmitter systems (dopaminergic and cholinergic) originating from the brain stem (tegmentum) and innervating structures generating emotional arousal and emission of vocalizations that carry messages to other rats. Activity of the dopaminergic system initiates an appetitive (pleasant) state with emission of 50 kHz calls, while activity of the cholinergic system initiates an aversive (unpleasant) state with emission of 22 kHz calls. These vocalizations carry messages addressed to other rats and are used in research as a measure of the activity of relevant brain systems and the resulting state of the organism. The proposal includes investigation of the interaction between the dopaminergic and cholinergic systems and the mechanisms allowing the brain to select and initiate either the appetitive or aversive state, but not both of them together. The project also includes studies of other brain systems (in the hypothalamus) controlling emotive states. Messages coded in the vocalizations (semiotic content), as well as their development from infancy to adulthood, will also be studied, along with the development of the dopaminergic and cholinergic transmitter systems throughout the same ages.