Neural oscillations in the fronto-striatal network predict vocal output in bats

The ability to vocalize is ubiquitous in vertebrates, but neural networks underlying vocal control remain poorly understood. Here, we performed simultaneous neuronal recordings in the frontal cortex and dorsal striatum (caudate nucleus, CN) during the production of echolocation pulses and communicat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS biology 2020-03, Vol.18 (3), p.e3000658-e3000658
Main Authors: Weineck, Kristin, García-Rosales, Francisco, Hechavarría, Julio C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Animal cognition
Animals
Bats
Biology
Biology and Life Sciences
Caudate nucleus
Caudate-putamen
Chiroptera
Communication
Cortex (frontal)
Echolocation
Echolocation (Physiology)
Medicine and Health Sciences
Navigation behavior
Neostriatum
Neural networks
Neurons
Neurosciences
Oscillations
Parkinson's disease
Parkinsons disease
Physical Sciences
Sensory perception
Social Sciences
Vertebrates
Vocalization behavior
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Summary:The ability to vocalize is ubiquitous in vertebrates, but neural networks underlying vocal control remain poorly understood. Here, we performed simultaneous neuronal recordings in the frontal cortex and dorsal striatum (caudate nucleus, CN) during the production of echolocation pulses and communication calls in bats. This approach allowed us to assess the general aspects underlying vocal production in mammals and the unique evolutionary adaptations of bat echolocation. Our data indicate that before vocalization, a distinctive change in high-gamma and beta oscillations (50-80 Hz and 12-30 Hz, respectively) takes place in the bat frontal cortex and dorsal striatum. Such precise fine-tuning of neural oscillations could allow animals to selectively activate motor programs required for the production of either echolocation or communication vocalizations. Moreover, the functional coupling between frontal and striatal areas, occurring in the theta oscillatory band (4-8 Hz), differs markedly at the millisecond level, depending on whether the animals are in a navigational mode (that is, emitting echolocation pulses) or in a social communication mode (emitting communication calls). Overall, this study indicates that fronto-striatal oscillations could provide a neural correlate for vocal control in bats.
ISSN:1545-7885
1544-9173
1545-7885
DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.3000658