National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 4R01NS132046-02

Neural Mechanisms for Flexible Vocal Communication

This award funds research to understand how motor cortex controls flexible vocal communication in mammals by comparing vocal behaviors in singing mice and lab mice, aiming to advance knowledge relevant to human health conditions affecting vocalization.

Description

Loss of control over interactive vocalizations is associated with many different serious health conditions in humans such as stroke-induced aphasia, movement disorders such as Parkinson’s, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. Using chronic electrophysiology, optogenetic manipulations, and comparative connectomics with single-cell resolution, we will compare the role of motor cortex during vocal behaviors in animals that can interact vocally (i.e., singing mice) versus those that do not (i.e., lab mice). This contribution is significant because the insight we stand to gain on how motor cortex controls ethologically-relevant vocal behaviors in mammals is likely to advance the field toward a better understanding of what happens when these systems go awry in humans.

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