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Bress KS, Cascio CJ. Sensorimotor regulation of facial expression - An untouched frontier. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105684. [PMID: 38710425 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Facial expression is a critical form of nonverbal social communication which promotes emotional exchange and affiliation among humans. Facial expressions are generated via precise contraction of the facial muscles, guided by sensory feedback. While the neural pathways underlying facial motor control are well characterized in humans and primates, it remains unknown how tactile and proprioceptive information reaches these pathways to guide facial muscle contraction. Thus, despite the importance of facial expressions for social functioning, little is known about how they are generated as a unique sensorimotor behavior. In this review, we highlight current knowledge about sensory feedback from the face and how it is distinct from other body regions. We describe connectivity between the facial sensory and motor brain systems, and call attention to the other brain systems which influence facial expression behavior, including vision, gustation, emotion, and interoception. Finally, we petition for more research on the sensory basis of facial expressions, asserting that incomplete understanding of sensorimotor mechanisms is a barrier to addressing atypical facial expressivity in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly S Bress
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Carissa J Cascio
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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2
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Vidal M, Onderdijk KE, Aguilera AM, Six J, Maes PJ, Fritz TH, Leman M. Cholinergic-related pupil activity reflects level of emotionality during motor performance. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:2193-2207. [PMID: 37118877 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Pupil size covaries with the diffusion rate of the cholinergic and noradrenergic neurons throughout the brain, which are essential to arousal. Recent findings suggest that slow pupil fluctuations during locomotion are an index of sustained activity in cholinergic axons, whereas phasic dilations are related to the activity of noradrenergic axons. Here, we investigated movement induced arousal (i.e., by singing and swaying to music), hypothesising that actively engaging in musical behaviour will provoke stronger emotional engagement in participants and lead to different qualitative patterns of tonic and phasic pupil activity. A challenge in the analysis of pupil data is the turbulent behaviour of pupil diameter due to exogenous ocular activity commonly encountered during motor tasks and the high variability typically found between individuals. To address this, we developed an algorithm that adaptively estimates and removes pupil responses to ocular events, as well as a functional data methodology, derived from Pfaffs' generalised arousal, that provides a new statistical dimension on how pupil data can be interpreted according to putative neuromodulatory signalling. We found that actively engaging in singing enhanced slow cholinergic-related pupil dilations and having the opportunity to move your body while performing amplified the effect of singing on pupil activity. Phasic pupil oscillations during motor execution attenuated in time, which is often interpreted as a measure of sense of agency over movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Vidal
- IPEM, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Institute of Mathematics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Ana M Aguilera
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Institute of Mathematics, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Joren Six
- IPEM, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Thomas Hans Fritz
- IPEM, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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3
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Zhang H, Zhu Z, Ma WX, Kong LX, Yuan PC, Bu LF, Han J, Huang ZL, Wang YQ. The contribution of periaqueductal gray in the regulation of physiological and pathological behaviors. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1380171. [PMID: 38650618 PMCID: PMC11034386 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1380171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Periaqueductal gray (PAG), an integration center for neuronal signals, is located in the midbrain and regulates multiple physiological and pathological behaviors, including pain, defensive and aggressive behaviors, anxiety and depression, cardiovascular response, respiration, and sleep-wake behaviors. Due to the different neuroanatomical connections and functional characteristics of the four functional columns of PAG, different subregions of PAG synergistically regulate various instinctual behaviors. In the current review, we summarized the role and possible neurobiological mechanism of different subregions of PAG in the regulation of pain, defensive and aggressive behaviors, anxiety, and depression from the perspective of the up-down neuronal circuits of PAG. Furthermore, we proposed the potential clinical applications of PAG. Knowledge of these aspects will give us a better understanding of the key role of PAG in physiological and pathological behaviors and provide directions for future clinical treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Joint International Research Laboratory of Sleep, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Screening and Re-evaluation of Active Compounds of Herbal Medicines in Southern Anhui, Anhui Provincial Engineering Research Center for Polysaccharide Drugs, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, China
| | - Zhe Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Joint International Research Laboratory of Sleep, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei-Xiang Ma
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Joint International Research Laboratory of Sleep, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ling-Xi Kong
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Joint International Research Laboratory of Sleep, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping-Chuan Yuan
- Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Screening and Re-evaluation of Active Compounds of Herbal Medicines in Southern Anhui, Anhui Provincial Engineering Research Center for Polysaccharide Drugs, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, China
| | - Li-Fang Bu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Joint International Research Laboratory of Sleep, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Han
- Anhui Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Screening and Re-evaluation of Active Compounds of Herbal Medicines in Southern Anhui, Anhui Provincial Engineering Research Center for Polysaccharide Drugs, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, China
| | - Zhi-Li Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Joint International Research Laboratory of Sleep, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi-Qun Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Joint International Research Laboratory of Sleep, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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4
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Coverdell TC, Abbott SBG, Campbell JN. Molecular cell types as functional units of the efferent vagus nerve. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2024; 156:210-218. [PMID: 37507330 PMCID: PMC10811285 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
The vagus nerve vitally connects the brain and body to coordinate digestive, cardiorespiratory, and immune functions. Its efferent neurons, which project their axons from the brainstem to the viscera, are thought to comprise "functional units" - neuron populations dedicated to the control of specific vagal reflexes or organ functions. Previous research indicates that these functional units differ from one another anatomically, neurochemically, and physiologically but have yet to define their identity in an experimentally tractable way. However, recent work with genetic technology and single-cell genomics suggests that genetically distinct subtypes of neurons may be the functional units of the efferent vagus. Here we review how these approaches are revealing the organizational principles of the efferent vagus in unprecedented detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana C Coverdell
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Stephen B G Abbott
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - John N Campbell
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA.
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Park J, Choi S, Takatoh J, Zhao S, Harrahill A, Han BX, Wang F. Brainstem control of vocalization and its coordination with respiration. Science 2024; 383:eadi8081. [PMID: 38452069 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi8081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Phonation critically depends on precise controls of laryngeal muscles in coordination with ongoing respiration. However, the neural mechanisms governing these processes remain unclear. We identified excitatory vocalization-specific laryngeal premotor neurons located in the retroambiguus nucleus (RAmVOC) in adult mice as being both necessary and sufficient for driving vocal cord closure and eliciting mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). The duration of RAmVOC activation can determine the lengths of both USV syllables and concurrent expiration periods, with the impact of RAmVOC activation depending on respiration phases. RAmVOC neurons receive inhibition from the preBötzinger complex, and inspiration needs override RAmVOC-mediated vocal cord closure. Ablating inhibitory synapses in RAmVOC neurons compromised this inspiration gating of laryngeal adduction, resulting in discoordination of vocalization with respiration. Our study reveals the circuits for vocal production and vocal-respiratory coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaehong Park
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Seonmi Choi
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jun Takatoh
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Shengli Zhao
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Andrew Harrahill
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Bao-Xia Han
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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6
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González-García M, Carrillo-Franco L, Morales-Luque C, Dawid-Milner MS, López-González MV. Central Autonomic Mechanisms Involved in the Control of Laryngeal Activity and Vocalization. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:118. [PMID: 38392336 PMCID: PMC10886357 DOI: 10.3390/biology13020118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
In humans, speech is a complex process that requires the coordinated involvement of various components of the phonatory system, which are monitored by the central nervous system. The larynx in particular plays a crucial role, as it enables the vocal folds to meet and converts the exhaled air from our lungs into audible sounds. Voice production requires precise and sustained exhalation, which generates an air pressure/flow that creates the pressure in the glottis required for voice production. Voluntary vocal production begins in the laryngeal motor cortex (LMC), a structure found in all mammals, although the specific location in the cortex varies in humans. The LMC interfaces with various structures of the central autonomic network associated with cardiorespiratory regulation to allow the perfect coordination between breathing and vocalization. The main subcortical structure involved in this relationship is the mesencephalic periaqueductal grey matter (PAG). The PAG is the perfect link to the autonomic pontomedullary structures such as the parabrachial complex (PBc), the Kölliker-Fuse nucleus (KF), the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), and the nucleus retroambiguus (nRA), which modulate cardiovascular autonomic function activity in the vasomotor centers and respiratory activity at the level of the generators of the laryngeal-respiratory motor patterns that are essential for vocalization. These cores of autonomic structures are not only involved in the generation and modulation of cardiorespiratory responses to various stressors but also help to shape the cardiorespiratory motor patterns that are important for vocal production. Clinical studies show increased activity in the central circuits responsible for vocalization in certain speech disorders, such as spasmodic dysphonia because of laryngeal dystonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta González-García
- Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Unit of Neurophysiology of the Autonomic Nervous System (CIMES), University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga (IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Laura Carrillo-Franco
- Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Unit of Neurophysiology of the Autonomic Nervous System (CIMES), University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga (IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Carmen Morales-Luque
- Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Marc Stefan Dawid-Milner
- Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Unit of Neurophysiology of the Autonomic Nervous System (CIMES), University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga (IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND), 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Manuel Víctor López-González
- Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Unit of Neurophysiology of the Autonomic Nervous System (CIMES), University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute of Málaga (IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND), 29010 Málaga, Spain
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7
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Oesch N. Social Brain Perspectives on the Social and Evolutionary Neuroscience of Human Language. Brain Sci 2024; 14:166. [PMID: 38391740 PMCID: PMC10886718 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Human language and social cognition are two key disciplines that have traditionally been studied as separate domains. Nonetheless, an emerging view suggests an alternative perspective. Drawing on the theoretical underpinnings of the social brain hypothesis (thesis of the evolution of brain size and intelligence), the social complexity hypothesis (thesis of the evolution of communication), and empirical research from comparative animal behavior, human social behavior, language acquisition in children, social cognitive neuroscience, and the cognitive neuroscience of language, it is argued that social cognition and language are two significantly interconnected capacities of the human species. Here, evidence in support of this view reviews (1) recent developmental studies on language learning in infants and young children, pointing to the important crucial benefits associated with social stimulation for youngsters, including the quality and quantity of incoming linguistic information, dyadic infant/child-to-parent non-verbal and verbal interactions, and other important social cues integral for facilitating language learning and social bonding; (2) studies of the adult human brain, suggesting a high degree of specialization for sociolinguistic information processing, memory retrieval, and comprehension, suggesting that the function of these neural areas may connect social cognition with language and social bonding; (3) developmental deficits in language and social cognition, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), illustrating a unique developmental profile, further linking language, social cognition, and social bonding; and (4) neural biomarkers that may help to identify early developmental disorders of language and social cognition. In effect, the social brain and social complexity hypotheses may jointly help to describe how neurotypical children and adults acquire language, why autistic children and adults exhibit simultaneous deficits in language and social cognition, and why nonhuman primates and other organisms with significant computational capacities cannot learn language. But perhaps most critically, the following article argues that this and related research will allow scientists to generate a holistic profile and deeper understanding of the healthy adult social brain while developing more innovative and effective diagnoses, prognoses, and treatments for maladies and deficits also associated with the social brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Oesch
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
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8
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Veerakumar A, Head JP, Krasnow MA. A brainstem circuit for phonation and volume control in mice. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:2122-2130. [PMID: 37996531 PMCID: PMC10689238 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01478-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian vocalizations are critical for communication and are produced through the process of phonation, in which expiratory muscles force air through the tensed vocal folds of the larynx, which vibrate to produce sound. Despite the importance of phonation, the motor circuits in the brain that control it remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified a subpopulation of ~160 neuropeptide precursor Nts (neurotensin)-expressing neurons in the mouse brainstem nucleus retroambiguus (RAm) that are robustly activated during both neonatal isolation cries and adult social vocalizations. The activity of these neurons is necessary and sufficient for vocalization and bidirectionally controls sound volume. RAm Nts neurons project to all brainstem and spinal cord motor centers involved in phonation and activate laryngeal and expiratory muscles essential for phonation and volume control. Thus, RAm Nts neurons form the core of a brain circuit for making sound and controlling its volume, which are two foundations of vocal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avin Veerakumar
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Joshua P Head
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Neurosciences Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mark A Krasnow
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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McAfee SS, Robinson G, Gajjar A, Zhang S, Bag AK, Raches D, Conklin HM, Khan RB, Scoggins MA. Cerebellar mutism is linked to midbrain volatility and desynchronization from speech cortices. Brain 2023; 146:4755-4765. [PMID: 37343136 PMCID: PMC10629755 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Cerebellar mutism syndrome is a disorder of speech, movement and affect that can occur after tumour removal from the posterior fossa. Projections from the fastigial nuclei to the periaqueductal grey area were recently implicated in its pathogenesis, but the functional consequences of damaging these projections remain poorly understood. Here, we examine functional MRI data from patients treated for medulloblastoma to identify functional changes in key brain areas that comprise the motor system for speech, which occur along the timeline of acute speech impairment in cerebellar mutism syndrome. One hundred and twenty-four participants, all with medulloblastoma, contributed to the study: 45 with cerebellar mutism syndrome, 11 patients with severe postoperative deficits other than mutism, and 68 without either (asymptomatic). We first performed a data-driven parcellation to spatially define functional nodes relevant to the cohort that align with brain regions critical for the motor control of speech. We then estimated functional connectivity between these nodes during the initial postoperative imaging sessions to identify functional deficits associated with the acute phase of the disorder. We further analysed how functional connectivity changed over time within a subset of participants that had suitable imaging acquired over the course of recovery. Signal dispersion was also measured in the periaqueductal grey area and red nuclei to estimate activity in midbrain regions considered key targets of the cerebellum with suspected involvement in cerebellar mutism pathogenesis. We found evidence of periaqueductal grey dysfunction in the acute phase of the disorder, with abnormal volatility and desynchronization with neocortical language nodes. Functional connectivity with periaqueductal grey was restored in imaging sessions that occurred after speech recovery and was further shown to be increased with left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The amygdalae were also broadly hyperconnected with neocortical nodes in the acute phase. Stable connectivity differences between groups were broadly present throughout the cerebrum, and one of the most substantial differences-between Broca's area and the supplementary motor area-was found to be inversely related to cerebellar outflow pathway damage in the mutism group. These results reveal systemic changes in the speech motor system of patients with mutism, centred on limbic areas tasked with the control of phonation. These findings provide further support for the hypothesis that periaqueductal grey dysfunction (following cerebellar surgical injury) contributes to the transient postoperative non-verbal episode commonly observed in cerebellar mutism syndrome but highlights a potential role of intact cerebellocortical projections in chronic features of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel S McAfee
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Giles Robinson
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Amar Gajjar
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Silu Zhang
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Asim K Bag
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Darcy Raches
- Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Heather M Conklin
- Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Raja B Khan
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Matthew A Scoggins
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
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Park J, Choi S, Takatoh J, Zhao S, Harrahill A, Han BX, Wang F. Brainstem premotor mechanisms underlying vocal production and vocal-respiratory coordination. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.12.562111. [PMID: 37873071 PMCID: PMC10592834 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.12.562111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Speech generation critically depends on precise controls of laryngeal muscles and coordination with ongoing respiratory activity. However, the neural mechanisms governing these processes remain unknown. Here, we mapped laryngeal premotor circuitry in adult mice and viral-genetically identified excitatory vocal premotor neurons located in the retroambiguus nucleus (RAm VOC ) as both necessary and sufficient for driving vocal-cord closure and eliciting mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). The duration of RAm VOC activation determines the lengths of USV syllables and post-inspiration phases. RAm VOC -neurons receive inhibitory inputs from the preBötzinger complex, and inspiration needs can override RAm VOC -mediated vocal-cord closure. Ablating inhibitory synapses in RAm VOC -neurons compromised this inspiration gating of laryngeal adduction, resulting in de-coupling of vocalization and respiration. Our study revealed the hitherto unknown circuits for vocal pattern generation and vocal-respiratory coupling. One-Sentence Summary Identification of RAm VOC neurons as the critical node for vocal pattern generation and vocal-respiratory coupling.
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11
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Pelliccia V, Del Vecchio M, Avanzini P, Revay M, Sartori I, Caruana F. 70 Years of Human Cingulate Cortex Stimulation. Functions and Dysfunctions Through the Lens of Electrical Stimulation. J Clin Neurophysiol 2023; 40:491-500. [PMID: 36007014 DOI: 10.1097/wnp.0000000000000961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY In this review, we retrace the results of 70 years of human cingulate cortex (CC) intracerebral electrical stimulation and discuss its contribution to our understanding of the anatomofunctional and clinical aspects of this wide cortical region. The review is divided into three main sections. In the first section, we report the results obtained by the stimulation of the anterior, middle, and posterior CC, in 30 studies conducted on approximately 1,000 patients from the 1950s to the present day. These studies show that specific manifestations can be reliably associated with specific cingulate subfields, with autonomic, interoceptive, and emotional manifestations clustered in the anterior cingulate, goal-oriented motor behaviors elicited from the anterior midcingulate and a variety of sensory symptoms characterizing the posterior cingulate regions. In the second section, we compare the effect of CC intracerebral electrical stimulation with signs and manifestations characterizing cingulate epilepsy, showing that the stimulation mapping of CC subfields provides precious information for understanding cingulate epileptic manifestations. The last section tackles the issue of the discrepancy emerging when comparing the results of clinical (electrical stimulation, epilepsy) studies-revealing the quintessential affective and motor nature of the CC-with that reported by neuroimaging studies-which focus on high-level cognitive functions. Particular attention will be paid to the hypothesis that CC hosts a "Pain Matrix" specifically involved in pain perception, which we will discuss in the light of the fact that the stimulation of CC (as well as cingulate epileptic seizures) does not induce nociceptive effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Pelliccia
- "Claudio Munari" Epilepsy Surgery Center, ASST GOM Niguarda, Milano, Italy; and
| | - Maria Del Vecchio
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Parma, Italy
| | - Pietro Avanzini
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Parma, Italy
| | - Martina Revay
- "Claudio Munari" Epilepsy Surgery Center, ASST GOM Niguarda, Milano, Italy; and
| | - Ivana Sartori
- "Claudio Munari" Epilepsy Surgery Center, ASST GOM Niguarda, Milano, Italy; and
| | - Fausto Caruana
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Parma, Italy
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12
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Allen A, Heisler E, Kittelberger JM. Dopamine injections to the midbrain periaqueductal gray inhibit vocal-motor production in a teleost fish. Physiol Behav 2023; 263:114131. [PMID: 36796532 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Across vertebrates, the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a critical role in social and vocal behavior. Dopaminergic neurotransmission also modulates these behaviors, and dopaminergic innervation of the PAG has been well documented. Nonetheless, the potential role of dopamine in shaping vocal production at the level of the PAG is not well understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that dopamine modulates vocal production in the PAG, using a well-characterized vertebrate model system for the study of vocal communication, the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus. We found that focal dopamine injections to the midshipman PAG rapidly and reversibly inhibited vocal production triggered by stimulation of known vocal-motor structures in the preoptic area / anterior hypothalamus. While dopamine inhibited vocal-motor output, it did not alter behaviorally-relevant parameters of this output, such as vocalization duration and frequency. Dopamine-induced inhibition of vocal production was prevented by the combined blockade of D1- and D2-like receptors but was unaffected by isolated blockade of either D1-receptors or D2-receptors. Our results suggest dopamine neuromodulation in the midshipman PAG may inhibit natural vocal behavior, in courtship and/or agonistic social contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Allen
- Department of Biology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA 17325, United States
| | - Elizabeth Heisler
- Department of Biology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA 17325, United States
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13
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Krohn F, Novello M, van der Giessen RS, De Zeeuw CI, Pel JJM, Bosman LWJ. The integrated brain network that controls respiration. eLife 2023; 12:83654. [PMID: 36884287 PMCID: PMC9995121 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Respiration is a brain function on which our lives essentially depend. Control of respiration ensures that the frequency and depth of breathing adapt continuously to metabolic needs. In addition, the respiratory control network of the brain has to organize muscular synergies that integrate ventilation with posture and body movement. Finally, respiration is coupled to cardiovascular function and emotion. Here, we argue that the brain can handle this all by integrating a brainstem central pattern generator circuit in a larger network that also comprises the cerebellum. Although currently not generally recognized as a respiratory control center, the cerebellum is well known for its coordinating and modulating role in motor behavior, as well as for its role in the autonomic nervous system. In this review, we discuss the role of brain regions involved in the control of respiration, and their anatomical and functional interactions. We discuss how sensory feedback can result in adaptation of respiration, and how these mechanisms can be compromised by various neurological and psychological disorders. Finally, we demonstrate how the respiratory pattern generators are part of a larger and integrated network of respiratory brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friedrich Krohn
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Manuele Novello
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Chris I De Zeeuw
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands.,Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Johan J M Pel
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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14
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Zhang Y, Zhou L, Zuo J, Wang S, Meng W. Analogies of human speech and bird song: From vocal learning behavior to its neural basis. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1100969. [PMID: 36910811 PMCID: PMC9992734 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1100969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Vocal learning is a complex acquired social behavior that has been found only in very few animals. The process of animal vocal learning requires the participation of sensorimotor function. By accepting external auditory input and cooperating with repeated vocal imitation practice, a stable pattern of vocal information output is eventually formed. In parallel evolutionary branches, humans and songbirds share striking similarities in vocal learning behavior. For example, their vocal learning processes involve auditory feedback, complex syntactic structures, and sensitive periods. At the same time, they have evolved the hierarchical structure of special forebrain regions related to vocal motor control and vocal learning, which are organized and closely associated to the auditory cortex. By comparing the location, function, genome, and transcriptome of vocal learning-related brain regions, it was confirmed that songbird singing and human language-related neural control pathways have certain analogy. These common characteristics make songbirds an ideal animal model for studying the neural mechanisms of vocal learning behavior. The neural process of human language learning may be explained through similar neural mechanisms, and it can provide important insights for the treatment of language disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutao Zhang
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Lifang Zhou
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Jiachun Zuo
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Songhua Wang
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Wei Meng
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
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15
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Renner J, Rasia-Filho AA. Morphological Features of Human Dendritic Spines. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 34:367-496. [PMID: 37962801 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-36159-3_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Dendritic spine features in human neurons follow the up-to-date knowledge presented in the previous chapters of this book. Human dendrites are notable for their heterogeneity in branching patterns and spatial distribution. These data relate to circuits and specialized functions. Spines enhance neuronal connectivity, modulate and integrate synaptic inputs, and provide additional plastic functions to microcircuits and large-scale networks. Spines present a continuum of shapes and sizes, whose number and distribution along the dendritic length are diverse in neurons and different areas. Indeed, human neurons vary from aspiny or "relatively aspiny" cells to neurons covered with a high density of intermingled pleomorphic spines on very long dendrites. In this chapter, we discuss the phylogenetic and ontogenetic development of human spines and describe the heterogeneous features of human spiny neurons along the spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum, thalamus, basal ganglia, amygdala, hippocampal regions, and neocortical areas. Three-dimensional reconstructions of Golgi-impregnated dendritic spines and data from fluorescence microscopy are reviewed with ultrastructural findings to address the complex possibilities for synaptic processing and integration in humans. Pathological changes are also presented, for example, in Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Basic morphological data can be linked to current techniques, and perspectives in this research field include the characterization of spines in human neurons with specific transcriptome features, molecular classification of cellular diversity, and electrophysiological identification of coexisting subpopulations of cells. These data would enlighten how cellular attributes determine neuron type-specific connectivity and brain wiring for our diverse aptitudes and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué Renner
- Department of Basic Sciences/Physiology and Graduate Program in Biosciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Alberto A Rasia-Filho
- Department of Basic Sciences/Physiology and Graduate Program in Biosciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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16
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Méndez JM, Dukes J, Cooper BG. Preparing to sing: respiratory patterns underlying motor readiness for song. J Neurophysiol 2022; 128:1646-1662. [PMID: 36416416 PMCID: PMC9762977 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00551.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence for motor preparation and planning comes from neural activity preceding neural commands to activate the effectors; such preparatory activity is observed in pallial areas controlling learned motor behaviors. Vocal learning in songbirds is an example of a learned, sequential motor behavior that is a respiratory motor act and where there is evidence for neuromuscular planning. Respiration is the foundation of vocalization, elucidating the neural control of song motor planning requires studying respiratory antecedents of song initiation. Despite the importance of respiration in song production, few studies have investigated respiratory antecedents of impending vocalizations. Therefore, we investigated respiratory patterns in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata domestica) prior to, during, and following song bouts. In both species, compared with quiet respiration, song respiratory patterns were generated with higher amplitude, faster tempo, and ∼70% of the respiratory cycle is in the expiratory phase. In female-directed and isolation song, both species show a change in the respiratory tempo and the proportion of time spent inhaling prior to song. Following song, only zebra finches show systematic changes in respiratory patterns; they spend a greater proportion of the respiratory cycle in the expiratory phase for 1 s after song, which is likely due to hyperventilation during song. Accelerated respiratory rhythms before song may reflect the motor preparation for the upcoming song production; species differences in preparatory motor activity could be related to the degree to which motor planning is required; finally, song termination may be dictated by respiratory demands.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Motor planning for vocal production in birdsong manifests as an adaptation of respiratory characteristics prior to song. The songbird's respiratory system anticipates the upcoming song production by accelerating the respiratory tempo and increasing the proportion of time spent inhaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge M Méndez
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota
| | - Jacqueline Dukes
- Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
| | - Brenton G Cooper
- Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
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17
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Westermann B, Lotze M, Varra L, Versteeg N, Domin M, Nicolet L, Obrist M, Klepzig K, Marbot L, Lämmler L, Fiedler K, Wattendorf E. When laughter arrests speech: fMRI-based evidence. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210182. [PMID: 36126674 PMCID: PMC9489293 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Who has not experienced that sensation of losing the power of speech owing to an involuntary bout of laughter? An investigation of this phenomenon affords an insight into the neuronal processes that underlie laughter. In our functional magnetic resonance imaging study, participants were made to laugh by tickling in a first condition; in a second one they were requested to produce vocal utterances under the provocation of laughter by tickling. This investigation reveals increased neuronal activity in the sensorimotor cortex, the anterior cingulate gyrus, the insula, the nucleus accumbens, the hypothalamus and the periaqueductal grey for both conditions, thereby replicating the results of previous studies on ticklish laughter. However, further analysis indicates the activity in the emotion-associated regions to be lower when tickling is accompanied by voluntary vocalization. Here, a typical pattern of activation is identified, including the primary sensory cortex, a ventral area of the anterior insula and the ventral tegmental field, to which belongs to the nucleus ambiguus, namely, the common effector organ for voluntary and involuntary vocalizations. During the conflictual voluntary-vocalization versus laughter experience, the laughter-triggering network appears to rely heavily on a sensory and a deep interoceptive analysis, as well as on motor effectors in the brainstem. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Cracking the laugh code: laughter through the lens of biology, psychology and neuroscience’.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Westermann
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - M Lotze
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - L Varra
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - N Versteeg
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - M Domin
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - L Nicolet
- College of Health Sciences Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - M Obrist
- College of Health Sciences Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - K Klepzig
- College of Health Sciences Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - L Marbot
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - L Lämmler
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - K Fiedler
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - E Wattendorf
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.,College of Health Sciences Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
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18
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Palagi E, Caruana F, de Waal FBM. The naturalistic approach to laughter in humans and other animals: towards a unified theory. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210175. [PMID: 36126670 PMCID: PMC9489289 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This opinion piece aims to tackle the biological, psychological, neural and cultural underpinnings of laughter from a naturalistic and evolutionary perspective. A naturalistic account of laughter requires the revaluation of two dogmas of a longstanding philosophical tradition, that is, the quintessential link between laughter and humour, and the uniquely human nature of this behaviour. In the spirit of Provine's and Panksepp's seminal studies, who firstly argued against the anti-naturalistic dogmas, here we review compelling evidence that (i) laughter is first and foremost a social behaviour aimed at regulating social relationships, easing social tensions and establishing social bonds, and that (ii) homologue and homoplasic behaviours of laughter exist in primates and rodents, who also share with humans the same underpinning neural circuitry. We make a case for the hypothesis that the contagiousness of laughter and its pervasive social infectiousness in everyday social interactions is mediated by a specific mirror mechanism. Finally, we argue that a naturalistic account of laughter should not be intended as an outright rejection of classic theories; rather, in the last part of the piece we argue that our perspective is potentially able to integrate previous viewpoints-including classic philosophical theories-ultimately providing a unified evolutionary explanation of laughter. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cracking the laugh code: laughter through the lens of biology, psychology and neuroscience'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Palagi
- Unit of Ethology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, via A. Volta 6, Pisa 56126, Italy
| | - Fausto Caruana
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via Volturno 39/E, Parma 43125, Italy
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19
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Zauli FM, Del Vecchio M, Russo S, Mariani V, Pelliccia V, d'Orio P, Sartori I, Avanzini P, Caruana F. The web of laughter: frontal and limbic projections of the anterior cingulate cortex revealed by cortico-cortical evoked potential from sites eliciting laughter. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210180. [PMID: 36126672 PMCID: PMC9489285 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
According to an evolutionist approach, laughter is a multifaceted behaviour affecting social, emotional, motor and speech functions. Albeit previous studies have suggested that high-frequency electrical stimulation (HF-ES) of the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pACC) may induce bursts of laughter-suggesting a crucial contribution of this region to the cortical control of this behaviour-the complex nature of laughter implies that outward connections from the pACC may reach and affect a complex network of frontal and limbic regions. Here, we studied the effective connectivity of the pACC by analysing the cortico-cortical evoked potentials elicited by single-pulse electrical stimulation of pACC sites whose HF-ES elicited laughter in 12 patients. Once these regions were identified, we studied their clinical response to HF-ES, to reveal the specific functional target of pACC representation of laughter. Results reveal that the neural representation of laughter in the pACC interacts with several frontal and limbic regions, including cingulate, orbitofrontal, medial prefrontal and anterior insular regions-involved in interoception, emotion, social reward and motor behaviour. These results offer neuroscientific support to the evolutionist approach to laughter, providing a possible mechanistic explanation of the interplay between this behaviour and emotion regulation, speech production and social interactions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cracking the laugh code: laughter through the lens of biology, psychology and neuroscience'.
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Affiliation(s)
- F M Zauli
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences 'L. Sacco', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Philosophy 'Piero Martinetti', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- 'Claudio Munari' Epilepsy Surgery Center, ASST GOM Niguarda, Milan, Italy
| | - M Del Vecchio
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Parma, Italy
| | - S Russo
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences 'L. Sacco', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Philosophy 'Piero Martinetti', University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Allen Institute, Seattle, WA
| | - V Mariani
- Neurology and Stroke Unit Division, Circolo Hospital ASST Settelaghi University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - V Pelliccia
- 'Claudio Munari' Epilepsy Surgery Center, ASST GOM Niguarda, Milan, Italy
| | - P d'Orio
- 'Claudio Munari' Epilepsy Surgery Center, ASST GOM Niguarda, Milan, Italy
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Parma, Italy
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma
| | - I Sartori
- 'Claudio Munari' Epilepsy Surgery Center, ASST GOM Niguarda, Milan, Italy
| | - P Avanzini
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Parma, Italy
| | - F Caruana
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Parma, Italy
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20
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Huff A, Karlen-Amarante M, Pitts T, Ramirez JM. Optogenetic stimulation of pre-Bötzinger complex reveals novel circuit interactions in swallowing-breathing coordination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2121095119. [PMID: 35858334 PMCID: PMC9304034 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2121095119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The coordination of swallowing with breathing, in particular inspiration, is essential for homeostasis in most organisms. While much has been learned about the neuronal network critical for inspiration in mammals, the pre-Bötzinger complex (preBötC), little is known about how this network interacts with swallowing. Here we activate within the preBötC excitatory neurons (defined as Vglut2 and Sst neurons) and inhibitory neurons (defined as Vgat neurons) and inhibit and activate neurons defined by the transcription factor Dbx1 to gain an understanding of the coordination between the preBötC and swallow behavior. We found that stimulating inhibitory preBötC neurons did not mimic the premature shutdown of inspiratory activity caused by water swallows, suggesting that swallow-induced suppression of inspiratory activity is not directly mediated by the inhibitory neurons in the preBötC. By contrast, stimulation of preBötC Dbx1 neurons delayed laryngeal closure of the swallow sequence. Inhibition of Dbx1 neurons increased laryngeal closure duration and stimulation of Sst neurons pushed swallow occurrence to later in the respiratory cycle, suggesting that excitatory neurons from the preBötC connect to the laryngeal motoneurons and contribute to the timing of swallowing. Interestingly, the delayed swallow sequence was also caused by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), a model for sleep apnea, which is 1) known to destabilize inspiratory activity and 2) associated with dysphagia. This delay was not present when inhibiting Dbx1 neurons. We propose that a stable preBötC is essential for normal swallow pattern generation and disruption may contribute to the dysphagia seen in obstructive sleep apnea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Huff
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101
| | - Marlusa Karlen-Amarante
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101
| | - Teresa Pitts
- Department of Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202
| | - Jan Marino Ramirez
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101
- Department of Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98108
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21
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McAfee SS, Zhang S, Zou P, Conklin HM, Raches D, Robinson G, Gajjar A, Khan R, Klimo P, Patay Z, Scoggins MA. Fastigial nuclei surgical damage and focal midbrain disruption implicate PAG survival circuits in cerebellar mutism syndrome. Neuro Oncol 2022; 25:375-385. [PMID: 35789275 PMCID: PMC9925705 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noac168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pediatric postoperative cerebellar mutism syndrome (CMS) is a rare but well-known complication of medulloblastoma (Mb) resection with devastating effects on expressive language, mobility, cognition, and emotional regulation that diminishes quality of life for many Mb survivors. The specific anatomical and neuronal basis of CMS remains obscure. We address this issue by identifying patterns of surgical damage and secondary axonal degeneration in Mb survivors with CMS. METHODS Children with Mb deemed high risk for CMS based on intraventricular location of the tumor had T1 images analyzed for location(s) of surgical damage using a specially developed algorithm. We used three complementary methods of spatial analysis to identify surgical damage linked to CMS diagnosis. Magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) images were analyzed for evidence of demyelination in anatomic regions downstream of the cerebellum, indicating neuronal dysfunction. RESULTS Spatial analyses highlighted damage to the fastigial nuclei and their associated cerebellar cortices as the strongest predictors of CMS. CMS-related MTR decrease was greatest in the ventral periaqueductal gray (PAG) area and highly consistent in the left red nucleus. CONCLUSION Our evidence points to disruption of output from the fastigial nuclei as a likely causal trigger for CMS. We propose that core CMS symptoms result from a disruption in the triggering of survival behaviors regulated by the PAG, including the gating of vocalization and volitional movement. The fastigial nuclei provide the densest output to the PAG from the cerebellum, thus sparing these structures may provide a greater likelihood of CMS prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel S McAfee
- Corresponding Author: Samuel S. McAfee, PhD, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Pl, Chili’s Care Center, Room I3210, Memphis, TN 38105, USA ()
| | - Silu Zhang
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ping Zou
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Heather M Conklin
- Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Darcy Raches
- Department of Psychology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Giles Robinson
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Amar Gajjar
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Raja Khan
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Paul Klimo
- Department of Surgery, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Zoltan Patay
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Matthew A Scoggins
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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22
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Tomeh A, Yusof Khan AHK, Inche Mat LN, Basri H, Wan Sulaiman WA. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Primary Motor Cortex beyond Motor Rehabilitation: A Review of the Current Evidence. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12060761. [PMID: 35741646 PMCID: PMC9221422 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12060761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has emerged as a novel technique to stimulate the human brain through the scalp. Over the years, identifying the optimal brain region and stimulation parameters has been a subject of debate in the literature on therapeutic uses of repetitive TMS (rTMS). Nevertheless, the primary motor cortex (M1) has been a conventional target for rTMS to treat motor symptoms, such as hemiplegia and spasticity, as it controls the voluntary movement of the body. However, with an expanding knowledge base of the M1 cortical and subcortical connections, M1-rTMS has shown a therapeutic efficacy that goes beyond the conventional motor rehabilitation to involve pain, headache, fatigue, dysphagia, speech and voice impairments, sleep disorders, cognitive dysfunction, disorders of consciousness, anxiety, depression, and bladder dysfunction. In this review, we summarize the latest evidence on using M1-rTMS to treat non-motor symptoms of diverse etiologies and discuss the potential mechanistic rationale behind the management of each of these symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulhameed Tomeh
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia; (A.T.); (A.H.K.Y.K.); (L.N.I.M.); (H.B.)
| | - Abdul Hanif Khan Yusof Khan
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia; (A.T.); (A.H.K.Y.K.); (L.N.I.M.); (H.B.)
- Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeingTM), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
| | - Liyana Najwa Inche Mat
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia; (A.T.); (A.H.K.Y.K.); (L.N.I.M.); (H.B.)
| | - Hamidon Basri
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia; (A.T.); (A.H.K.Y.K.); (L.N.I.M.); (H.B.)
| | - Wan Aliaa Wan Sulaiman
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia; (A.T.); (A.H.K.Y.K.); (L.N.I.M.); (H.B.)
- Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeingTM), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +60-3-9769-5560
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23
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Ruat J, Genewsky AJ, Heinz DE, Kaltwasser SF, Canteras NS, Czisch M, Chen A, Wotjak CT. Why do mice squeak? Towards a better understanding of defensive vocalization. iScience 2022; 25:104657. [PMID: 35845167 PMCID: PMC9283514 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although mice mostly communicate in the ultrasonic range, they also emit audible calls. We demonstrate that mice selectively bred for high anxiety-related behavior (HAB) have a high disposition for emitting sonic calls when caught by the tail. The vocalization was unrelated to pain but sensitive to anxiolytics. As revealed by manganese-enhanced MRI, HAB mice displayed an increased tonic activity of the periaqueductal gray (PAG). Selective inhibition of the dorsolateral PAG not only reduced anxiety-like behavior but also completely abolished sonic vocalization. Calls were emitted at a fundamental frequency of 3.8 kHz, which falls into the hearing range of numerous predators. Indeed, playback of sonic vocalization attracted rats if associated with a stimulus mouse. If played back to HAB mice, sonic calls were repellent in the absence of a conspecific but attractive in their presence. Our data demonstrate that sonic vocalization attracts both predators and conspecifics depending on the context. Sonic vocalization in threatening situations is prominent in highly anxious mice It coincides with increased neuronal activity within the periaqueductal gray (PAG) Pharmacological inhibition of the PAG attenuates sonic vocalization Sonic calls attract both rats and mice in the presence of a stimulus mouse
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Zhang Y, Alvarez JL, Ghazanfar AA. Arousal elevation drives the development of oscillatory vocal output. J Neurophysiol 2022; 127:1519-1531. [PMID: 35475704 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00007.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult behaviors, such as vocal production, often exhibit temporal regularity. In contrast, their immature forms are more irregular. We ask whether the coupling of motor behaviors with arousal changes give rise to temporal regularity. Do they drive the transition from variable to regular motor output over the course of development? We used marmoset monkey vocal production to explore this putative influence of arousal on the nonlinear changes in their developing vocal output patterns. Based on a detailed analysis of vocal and arousal dynamics in marmosets, we put forth a general model incorporating arousal and auditory-feedback loops for spontaneous vocal production. Using this model, we show that a stable oscillation can emerge as the baseline arousal increases, predicting the transition from stochastic to periodic oscillations observed during marmoset vocal development. We further provide a solution for how this model can explain vocal development as the joint consequence of energetic growth and social feedback. Together, we put forth a plausible mechanism for the development of arousal-mediated adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yisi Zhang
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - John Luis Alvarez
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Asif A Ghazanfar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States.,Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
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25
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Human face and gaze perception is highly context specific and involves bottom-up and top-down neural processing. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:304-323. [PMID: 34861296 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This review summarizes human perception and processing of face and gaze signals. Face and gaze signals are important means of non-verbal social communication. The review highlights that: (1) some evidence is available suggesting that the perception and processing of facial information starts in the prenatal period; (2) the perception and processing of face identity, expression and gaze direction is highly context specific, the effect of race and culture being a case in point. Culture affects by means of experiential shaping and social categorization the way in which information on face and gaze is collected and perceived; (3) face and gaze processing occurs in the so-called 'social brain'. Accumulating evidence suggests that the processing of facial identity, facial emotional expression and gaze involves two parallel and interacting pathways: a fast and crude subcortical route and a slower cortical pathway. The flow of information is bi-directional and includes bottom-up and top-down processing. The cortical networks particularly include the fusiform gyrus, superior temporal sulcus (STS), intraparietal sulcus, temporoparietal junction and medial prefrontal cortex.
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26
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Bordoni B, Escher AR. A Missing Voice: The Lingual Complex and Osteopathic Manual Medicine in the Context of Five Osteopathic Models. Cureus 2021; 13:e18658. [PMID: 34659928 PMCID: PMC8503936 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.18658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The five osteopathic models recognized by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine guide clinicians in the evaluation and therapeutic choice which must be the most appropriate concerning the patient's needs. Skeletal muscles represent an important interpretation, such as screening and treatment, on which these models are based. A muscle district that is not considered by the usual osteopathic practice is the tongue. The lingual complex has numerous functions, both local and systemic; it can adapt negatively in the presence of pathology, just as it can influence the body system in a non-physiological manner if it is a source of dysfunctions. This paper, the first of its kind in the panorama of scientific literature, briefly reviews the anatomy and neurophysiology of the tongue, trying to highlight the logic and the need to insert this muscle in the context of the five osteopathic models. The clinician's goal is to restore the patient's homeostasis, and we believe that this task is more concrete if the patient is approached after understanding all the contractile districts, including the tongue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Bordoni
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, Milan, ITA
| | - Allan R Escher
- Anesthesiology/Pain Medicine, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, USA
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27
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Akkunje PS, Yamini BK, Yadav R, Shivashankar N, Malo PK, Thennarasu K, Hegde S, Pal PK. Phonatory Characteristics of Male Patients with Classic Essential Tremor. J Mov Disord 2021; 14:226-230. [PMID: 34399566 PMCID: PMC10657739 DOI: 10.14802/jmd.21010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Voice tremor (VT) is one of the characteristics of essential tremor (ET). This study was designed to describe the group and phonatory characteristics of classic ET patients with VT. METHODS This retrospective case-control study compared classic ET patients with age and sex-matched controls. The ET population was subgrouped based on auditory perceptual voice analysis. Electroglottography and acoustic voice samples obtained from both groups were analyzed for contact quotient (CQ) and multidimensional voice program parameters, i.e., fundamental frequency (F0), perturbation, noise, and tremor parameters. RESULTS The CQ, F0, perturbation, noise, and tremor characteristics significantly increased from the moderate VT group to the severe VT group. CONCLUSION The CQ, F0, and noise characteristics reflected the vocal folds' functionality. The perturbation and tremor parameters variation were reasoned considering the tremor-related changes occurring in the laryngeal, vocal tract, and expiratory muscles in patients with ET. Thus, phonatory analysis may help in monitoring the progression of ET.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preetie Shetty Akkunje
- Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Belur Keshavaprasad Yamini
- Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Ravi Yadav
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Nagarajarao Shivashankar
- Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Palash Kumar Malo
- Department of Biostatistics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Kandavel Thennarasu
- Department of Biostatistics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Shantala Hegde
- Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Pramod Kumar Pal
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
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28
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Pre-SMA activation and the perception of contagiousness and authenticity in laughter sounds. Cortex 2021; 143:57-68. [PMID: 34388558 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy and behavioural methods were used to examine the neural basis of the behavioural contagion and authenticity of laughter. We demonstrate that the processing of laughter sounds recruits networks previously shown to be related to empathy and auditory-motor mirror networks. Additionally, we found that the differences in the levels of activation in response to volitional and spontaneous laughter could predict an individual's perception of how contagious they found the laughter to be.
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29
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Lydic R, Baghdoyan HA. Prefrontal Cortex Metabolome Is Modified by Opioids, Anesthesia, and Sleep. Physiology (Bethesda) 2021; 36:203-219. [PMID: 34159803 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00043.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Obtundation of wakefulness caused by opioids and loss of wakefulness caused by anesthetics and sleep significantly alter concentrations of molecules comprising the prefrontal cortex (PFC) metabolome. Quantifying state-selective changes in the PFC metabolome is essential for advancing functional metabolomics. Diverse functions of the PFC suggest the PFC metabolome as a potential therapeutic entry point for countermeasures to state-selective autonomic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph Lydic
- Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.,Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
| | - Helen A Baghdoyan
- Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.,Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
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30
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Mulroy E, Ilinca A, Gonzalez-Robles C, Magrinelli F, Puschmann A, Bhatia KP. Throat-Clearing Vocalizations in Primary Brain Calcification Syndromes. Mov Disord Clin Pract 2021; 8:627-630. [PMID: 33981802 DOI: 10.1002/mdc3.13175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eoin Mulroy
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology London United Kingdom
| | - Andreea Ilinca
- Department for Clinical Sciences Lund, Neurology Lund University, Skane University Hospital Lund Sweden
| | - Cristina Gonzalez-Robles
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology London United Kingdom
| | - Francesca Magrinelli
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology London United Kingdom.,Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences University of Verona Verona Italy
| | - Andreas Puschmann
- Department for Clinical Sciences Lund, Neurology Lund University, Skane University Hospital Lund Sweden
| | - Kailash P Bhatia
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology London United Kingdom
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31
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Subramanian HH, Balnave R, Holstege G. Response to Pamela Davis and Shi Ping Zhang. J Voice 2021; 37:458-460. [PMID: 33676808 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2021.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ron Balnave
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Gert Holstege
- University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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32
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Trevizan-Baú P, Dhingra RR, Furuya WI, Stanić D, Mazzone SB, Dutschmann M. Forebrain projection neurons target functionally diverse respiratory control areas in the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata. J Comp Neurol 2020; 529:2243-2264. [PMID: 33340092 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Eupnea is generated by neural circuits located in the ponto-medullary brainstem, but can be modulated by higher brain inputs which contribute to volitional control of breathing and the expression of orofacial behaviors, such as vocalization, sniffing, coughing, and swallowing. Surprisingly, the anatomical organization of descending inputs that connect the forebrain with the brainstem respiratory network remains poorly defined. We hypothesized that descending forebrain projections target multiple distributed respiratory control nuclei across the neuroaxis. To test our hypothesis, we made discrete unilateral microinjections of the retrograde tracer cholera toxin subunit B in the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG), the pontine Kölliker-Fuse nucleus (KFn), the medullary Bötzinger complex (BötC), pre-BötC, or caudal midline raphé nuclei. We quantified the regional distribution of retrogradely labeled neurons in the forebrain 12-14 days postinjection. Overall, our data reveal that descending inputs from cortical areas predominantly target the PAG and KFn. Differential forebrain regions innervating the PAG (prefrontal, cingulate cortices, and lateral septum) and KFn (rhinal, piriform, and somatosensory cortices) imply that volitional motor commands for vocalization are specifically relayed via the PAG, while the KFn may receive commands to coordinate breathing with other orofacial behaviors (e.g., sniffing, swallowing). Additionally, we observed that the limbic or autonomic (interoceptive) systems are connected to broadly distributed downstream bulbar respiratory networks. Collectively, these data provide a neural substrate to explain how volitional, state-dependent, and emotional modulation of breathing is regulated by the forebrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Trevizan-Baú
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Discovery Neuroscience Theme, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Rishi R Dhingra
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Discovery Neuroscience Theme, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Werner I Furuya
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Discovery Neuroscience Theme, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Davor Stanić
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Discovery Neuroscience Theme, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stuart B Mazzone
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mathias Dutschmann
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Discovery Neuroscience Theme, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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33
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Gerbella M, Pinardi C, Di Cesare G, Rizzolatti G, Caruana F. Two Neural Networks for Laughter: A Tractography Study. Cereb Cortex 2020; 31:899-916. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Laughter is a complex motor behavior occurring in both emotional and nonemotional contexts. Here, we investigated whether the different functions of laughter are mediated by distinct networks and, if this is the case, which are the white matter tracts sustaining them. We performed a multifiber tractography investigation placing seeds in regions involved in laughter production, as identified by previous intracerebral electrical stimulation studies in humans: the pregenual anterior cingulate (pACC), ventral temporal pole (TPv), frontal operculum (FO), presupplementary motor cortex, and ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens (VS/NAcc). The primary motor cortex (M1) and two subcortical territories were also studied to trace the descending projections. Results provided evidence for the existence of two relatively distinct networks. A first network, including pACC, TPv, and VS/NAcc, is interconnected through the anterior cingulate bundle, the accumbofrontal tract, and the uncinate fasciculus, reaching the brainstem throughout the mamillo-tegmental tract. This network is likely involved in the production of emotional laughter. A second network, anchored to FO and M1, projects to the brainstem motor nuclei through the internal capsule. It is most likely the neural basis of nonemotional and conversational laughter. The two networks interact throughout the pre-SMA that is connected to both pACC and FO.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Gerbella
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma 43125, Italy
| | - C Pinardi
- Neuroradiology Department, Fondazione I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan 20133, Italy
| | - G Di Cesare
- Cognitive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies Unit, Italian Institute of Technology, Genova 16163, Italy
| | - G Rizzolatti
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma 43125, Italy
- Institute of Neuroscience, Italian National Research Council (CNR), Parma 43125, Italy
| | - F Caruana
- Institute of Neuroscience, Italian National Research Council (CNR), Parma 43125, Italy
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34
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Guidotti L, Negroni D, Sironi L, Stecco A. Neural Correlates of Esophageal Speech: An fMRI Pilot Study. J Voice 2020; 36:288.e1-288.e14. [PMID: 32768157 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The esophageal speech is one of the possible alaryngeal voices resulting after total laryngectomy. Its production is made by the regurgitation of the air coming from the esophagus, sonorized through the passage from the walls of the upper esophageal sphincter. The neural correlates of this voice have never been investigated, while the neural control of laryngeal voice has been already documented by different studies. METHODS Four patients using esophageal speech after total laryngectomy and four healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. The fMRI experiment was carried out using a "Block Design Paradigm." RESULTS Comparison of the phonation task in the two groups revealed higher brain activities in the cingulate gyrus, the cerebellum and the medulla as well as lower brain activities in the precentral gyrus, the inferior and middle frontal gyrus and the superior temporal gyrus in the laryngectomized group. CONCLUSIONS The findings in this pilot study provide insight into neural phonation control in laryngectomized patients with esophageal speech. The imaging results demonstrated that in patients with esophageal speech, altered brain activities can be observed. The adaptive changes in the brain following laryngectomy reflect the changes in the body and in the voice modality. In addition, this pilot study establishes that a blocked design fMRI is sensitive enough to define a neural network associated with esophageal voice and lays the foundation for further studies in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucilla Guidotti
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro, Novara, Italy.
| | - Davide Negroni
- Department of Radiology, University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro, Novara, Italy
| | - Luigi Sironi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | - Alessandro Stecco
- Department of Radiology, University of Eastern Piedmont Amedeo Avogadro, Novara, Italy
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35
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Caruana F, Avanzini P, Pelliccia V, Mariani V, Zauli F, Sartori I, Del Vecchio M, Lo Russo G, Rizzolatti G. Mirroring other's laughter. Cingulate, opercular and temporal contributions to laughter expression and observation. Cortex 2020; 128:35-48. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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36
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Cavanna AE, Ganos C, Hartmann A, Martino D, Pringsheim T, Seri S. The cognitive neuropsychiatry of Tourette syndrome. Cogn Neuropsychiatry 2020; 25:254-268. [PMID: 32372718 DOI: 10.1080/13546805.2020.1760812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Converging evidence from both clinical and experimental studies has shown that Tourette syndrome (TS) is not a unitary condition, but a cluster of multiple phenotypes, which encompass both tics and specific behavioural and cognitive symptoms (mainly attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder). Methods: We conducted a narrative review of the recent literature on the cognitive neuropsychiatry of TS. Results: Although clinical research has shown that TS is not associated with cognitive deficits per se, the findings of recent studies have suggested the presence of subtle alterations in specific cognitive functions. A promising line of research on imitative behaviour could provide a common background for the alterations in executive control and social cognition observed in TS. Two different (but not mutually exclusive) neurocognitive theories have recently suggested that TS could originate from altered perception-action binding and social decision-making dysfunction, respectively. Conclusions: Since the presence of behavioural comorbidities influences individualised treatment approaches, it is likely that a more precise characterisation of TS phenotypes, including cognitive aspects, will result in improved levels of care for patients with tic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea E Cavanna
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, BSMHFT and University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology and University College London, London, United Kingdom.,School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston Brain Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Christos Ganos
- Department of Neurology, Charité, University Medicine Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Hartmann
- French Reference Centre for Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, UMR S 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, ICM, Paris, France.,Department of Neurology, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Davide Martino
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Calgary, Canada
| | - Tamara Pringsheim
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Stefano Seri
- School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston Brain Centre, Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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37
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Fogarty MJ, Sieck GC. Spinal cord injury and diaphragm neuromotor control. Expert Rev Respir Med 2020; 14:453-464. [PMID: 32077350 PMCID: PMC7176525 DOI: 10.1080/17476348.2020.1732822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Neuromotor control of diaphragm muscle and the recovery of diaphragm activity following spinal cord injury have been narrowly focused on ventilation. By contrast, the understanding of neuromotor control for non-ventilatory expulsive/straining maneuvers (including coughing, defecation, and parturition) is relatively impoverished. This variety of behaviors are achieved via the recruitment of the diverse array of motor units that comprise the diaphragm muscle.Areas covered: The neuromotor control of ventilatory and non-ventilatory behaviors in health and in the context of spinal cord injury is explored. Particular attention is played to the neuroplasticity of phrenic motor neurons in various models of cervical spinal cord injury.Expert opinion: There is a remarkable paucity in our understanding of neuromotor control of maneuvers in spinal cord injury patients. Dysfunction of these expulsive/straining maneuvers reduces patient quality of life and contributes to severe morbidity and mortality. As spinal cord injury patient life expectancies continue to climb steadily, a nexus of spinal cord injury and age-associated comorbidities are likely to occur. While current research remains concerned only with the minutiae of ventilation, the major functional deficits of this clinical cohort will persist intractably. We posit some future research directions to avoid this scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Fogarty
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Gary C Sieck
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
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38
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George Zaki Ghali M. Midbrain control of breathing and blood pressure: The role of periaqueductal gray matter and mesencephalic collicular neuronal microcircuit oscillators. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:3879-3902. [PMID: 32227408 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2019] [Revised: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Neural circuitry residing within the medullary ventral respiratory column nuclei and dorsal respiratory group interact with the Kölliker-Fuse and medial parabrachial nuclei to generate the core breathing rhythm and pattern during resting conditions. Triphasic eupnea consists of inspiratory [I], post-inspiratory [post-I], and late-expiratory [E2] phases. Mesencephalic zones exert modulatory influences upon respiratory rhythm-generating circuitry, sympathetic oscillators, and parasympathetic nuclei. The earliest evidence supporting the existence of midbrain control of breathing derives from studies conducted by Martin and Booker in 1878. These authors demonstrated electrical stimulation of the deep layers of the mesencephalic colliculi in the rabbit augmented ventilation and sequentially elicited chest wall tremors and tetany. Investigations performed during the past several decades would demonstrate stimlation of distributed zones within the midbrain reticular formation elicits starkly disparate effects upon respiratory phase switching. Schmid, Böhmer, and Fallert demonstrated electrical stimulation of the nucleus rubre and emanating axon bundles alternately elicits or inhibits the activity of medullary expiratory- or inspiratory-related units and phrenic nerve discharge with differential latency. A series of studies would later indicate the red nucleus mediates hypoxic ventilatory depression. Periaqueductal gray matter neurons exhibit extensive afferent and efferent interconnectivity with suprabulbar, brainstem, and spinal cord zones aptly positioning these units to modulate breathing, autonomic outflow, nociception locomotion, micturtion, and sexual behavior. Experimental stimulatory activation of the tectal colliculi and periaqueductal gray matter via electrical current or glutamate, D,L-homocysteinic acid, or bicuculline microinjections coordinately modulates neuromotor inspiratory bursting frequency and amplitude and discharge of pre-Bötzinger complex, ventrolateral medullary late-I and post-I, and ventrolateral nucleus tractus solitarius decrementing early-I and augmenting and decrementing late-I neurons, elicits expiratory outflow and vocalization, and blunt the Hering-Breuer reflex in unanesthetzed decerebrate and anesthetized preprations of the cat and rat. Stimulation of the mesencephalic colliuli or dorsal divisions of the PAG potently amplifes renal sympathetic neural efferent activity, dynamic arterial pressure magnitude, and myocardial contraction frequency and elicits various behavioral defense responses. Elicited physiological effects exhibit extensive locoregional heterogeneity and variably enlist requisite contributions from the dorsomedial hypothalamus and/or lateral parabrachial nuclei. Stimulation of the dorsal mesencephalon occasionally elicits dynamic increases of arterial pressure magnitude exhibiting prominent oscillatory variability coherent with phrenic nerve discharge, perhaps by generating intra-neuraxial hysteresis, serving to intermittently deliver blood to organ vascular beds under high pressure in order to prevent organ edema, microcirculatory dysfunction, and downregulation of vascular smooth muscle alpha adrenergic receptors. Chemosensitive mesencephalic caudal raphé units and projections of hypoxia-sensitive units in the caudal hypothalamus to the periaqueductal gray matter may imply the existence of a diencephalo-smesencephalic chemosensitive network modulating breathing and sympathetic discharge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael George Zaki Ghali
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California.,Department of Neurological Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Wattendorf E, Westermann B, Fiedler K, Ritz S, Redmann A, Pfannmöller J, Lotze M, Celio MR. Laughter is in the air: involvement of key nodes of the emotional motor system in the anticipation of tickling. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:837-847. [PMID: 31393979 PMCID: PMC6847157 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In analogy to the appreciation of humor, that of tickling is based upon the re-interpretation of an anticipated emotional situation. Hence, the anticipation of tickling contributes to the final outburst of ticklish laughter. To localize the neuronal substrates of this process, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted on 31 healthy volunteers. The state of anticipation was simulated by generating an uncertainty respecting the onset of manual foot tickling. Anticipation was characterized by an augmented fMRI signal in the anterior insula, the hypothalamus, the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area, as well as by an attenuated one in the internal globus pallidus. Furthermore, anticipatory activity in the anterior insula correlated positively with the degree of laughter that was produced during tickling. These findings are consistent with an encoding of the expected emotional consequences of tickling and suggest that early regulatory mechanisms influence, automatically, the laughter circuitry at the level of affective and sensory processing. Tickling activated not only those regions of the brain that were involved during anticipation, but also the posterior insula, the anterior cingulate cortex and the periaqueductal gray matter. Sequential or combined anticipatory and tickling-related neuronal activities may adjust emotional and sensorimotor pathways in preparation for the impending laughter response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Wattendorf
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, Anatomy, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Westermann
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Fiedler
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, Anatomy, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Simone Ritz
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, Anatomy, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Annetta Redmann
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, Anatomy, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Jörg Pfannmöller
- Functional Imaging, Center for Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 46, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Martin Lotze
- Functional Imaging, Center for Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Straße 46, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Marco R Celio
- Faculty of Science and Medicine, Department of Neuroscience, Anatomy, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
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Microstimulation in Different Parts of the Periaqueductal Gray Generates Different Types of Vocalizations in the Cat. J Voice 2020; 35:804.e9-804.e25. [PMID: 32147316 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2020.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In the cat four different types of vocalization, mews, howls, cries, and hisses were generated by microstimulation in different parts of the periaqueductal gray (PAG). While mews imply positive vocal expressions, howls, hisses, and cries represent negative vocal expressions. In the intermediate PAG, mews were generated in the lateral column, howls, and hisses in the ventrolateral column. Cries were generated in two other regions, the lateral column of the rostral PAG and the ventrolateral column of the caudal PAG. In order to define the specific motor patterns of the mews, howls, and cries, the following muscles were recorded during these vocalizations; larynx (cricothyroid, thyroarytenoid, and posterior cricoarytenoid), tongue (genioglossus), jaw (digastric), and respiration muscles (diaphragm, internal intercostal, external, and internal abdominal oblique). During these mews, howls, and cries we analyzed the frequency, intensity, activation cascades power density, turns, and amplitude analysis of the electromyograms (EMGs). It appeared that each type of vocalization consists of a specific circumscribed motor coordination. The nucleus retroambiguus (NRA) in the caudal medulla is known to serve as the final premotor interneuronal output system for vocalization. Although neurochemical microstimulation in the NRA itself also generated vocalizations, they only consisted of guttural sounds, the EMGs of which involved only small parts of the EMGs of the mews, howls, and cries generated by neurochemical stimulation in the PAG. These results demonstrate that positive and negative vocalizations are generated in different parts of the PAG. These parts have access to different groups of premotoneurons in the NRA, that, in turn, have access to different groups of motoneurons in the brainstem and spinal cord, resulting in different vocalizations. The findings would serve a valuable model for diagnostic assessment of voice disorders in humans.
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Zhang YS, Ghazanfar AA. A Hierarchy of Autonomous Systems for Vocal Production. Trends Neurosci 2020; 43:115-126. [PMID: 31955902 PMCID: PMC7213988 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2019.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Vocal production is hierarchical in the time domain. These hierarchies build upon biomechanical and neural dynamics across various timescales. We review studies in marmoset monkeys, songbirds, and other vertebrates. To organize these data in an accessible and across-species framework, we interpret the different timescales of vocal production as belonging to different levels of an autonomous systems hierarchy. The first level accounts for vocal acoustics produced on short timescales; subsequent levels account for longer timescales of vocal output. The hierarchy of autonomous systems that we put forth accounts for vocal patterning, sequence generation, dyadic interactions, and context dependence by sequentially incorporating central pattern generators, intrinsic drives, and sensory signals from the environment. We then show the framework's utility by providing an integrative explanation of infant vocal production learning in which social feedback modulates infant vocal acoustics through the tuning of a drive signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yisi S Zhang
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Asif A Ghazanfar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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Nieder A, Mooney R. The neurobiology of innate, volitional and learned vocalizations in mammals and birds. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190054. [PMID: 31735150 PMCID: PMC6895551 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocalization is an ancient vertebrate trait essential to many forms of communication, ranging from courtship calls to free verse. Vocalizations may be entirely innate and evoked by sexual cues or emotional state, as with many types of calls made in primates, rodents and birds; volitional, as with innate calls that, following extensive training, can be evoked by arbitrary sensory cues in non-human primates and corvid songbirds; or learned, acoustically flexible and complex, as with human speech and the courtship songs of oscine songbirds. This review compares and contrasts the neural mechanisms underlying innate, volitional and learned vocalizations, with an emphasis on functional studies in primates, rodents and songbirds. This comparison reveals both highly conserved and convergent mechanisms of vocal production in these different groups, despite their often vast phylogenetic separation. This similarity of central mechanisms for different forms of vocal production presents experimentalists with useful avenues for gaining detailed mechanistic insight into how vocalizations are employed for social and sexual signalling, and how they can be modified through experience to yield new vocal repertoires customized to the individual's social group. This article is part of the theme issue 'What can animal communication teach us about human language?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Richard Mooney
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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Oesch N. Music and Language in Social Interaction: Synchrony, Antiphony, and Functional Origins. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1514. [PMID: 31312163 PMCID: PMC6614337 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Music and language are universal human abilities with many apparent similarities relating to their acoustics, structure, and frequent use in social situations. We might therefore expect them to be understood and processed similarly, and indeed an emerging body of research suggests that this is the case. But the focus has historically been on the individual, looking at the passive listener or the isolated speaker or performer, even though social interaction is the primary site of use for both domains. Nonetheless, an important goal of emerging research is to compare music and language in terms of acoustics and structure, social interaction, and functional origins to develop parallel accounts across the two domains. Indeed, a central aim of both of evolutionary musicology and language evolution research is to understand the adaptive significance or functional origin of human music and language. An influential proposal to emerge in recent years has been referred to as the social bonding hypothesis. Here, within a comparative approach to animal communication systems, I review empirical studies in support of the social bonding hypothesis in humans, non-human primates, songbirds, and various other mammals. In support of this hypothesis, I review six research fields: (i) the functional origins of music; (ii) the functional origins of language; (iii) mechanisms of social synchrony for human social bonding; (iv) language and social bonding in humans; (v) music and social bonding in humans; and (vi) pitch, tone and emotional expression in human speech and music. I conclude that the comparative study of complex vocalizations and behaviors in various extant species can provide important insights into the adaptive function(s) of these traits in these species, as well as offer evidence-based speculations for the existence of "musilanguage" in our primate ancestors, and thus inform our understanding of the biology and evolution of human music and language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Oesch
- Music and Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology, The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Cognitive Neuroscience of Communication and Hearing (CoNCH) Lab, Department of Psychology, The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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Itoh K, Nejime M, Konoike N, Nakamura K, Nakada T. Evolutionary Elongation of the Time Window of Integration in Auditory Cortex: Macaque vs. Human Comparison of the Effects of Sound Duration on Auditory Evoked Potentials. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:630. [PMID: 31293370 PMCID: PMC6601703 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The auditory cortex integrates auditory information over time to obtain neural representations of sound events, the time scale of which critically affects perception. This work investigated the species differences in the time scale of integration by comparing humans and monkeys regarding how their scalp-recorded cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) decrease in amplitude as stimulus duration is shortened from 100 ms (or longer) to 2 ms. Cortical circuits tuned to processing sounds at short time scales would continue to produce large CAEPs to brief sounds whereas those tuned to longer time scales would produce diminished responses. Four peaks were identified in the CAEPs and labeled P1, N1, P2, and N2 in humans and mP1, mN1, mP2, and mN2 in monkeys. In humans, the N1 diminished in amplitude as sound duration was decreased, consistent with the previously described temporal integration window of N1 (>50 ms). In macaques, by contrast, the mN1 was unaffected by sound duration, and it was clearly elicited by even the briefest sounds. Brief sounds also elicited significant mN2 in the macaque, but not the human N2. Regarding earlier latencies, both P1 (humans) and mP1 (macaques) were elicited at their full amplitudes even by the briefest sounds. These findings suggest an elongation of the time scale of late stages of human auditory cortical processing, as reflected by N1/mN1 and later CAEP components. Longer time scales of integration would allow neural representations of complex auditory features that characterize speech and music.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosuke Itoh
- Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Masafumi Nejime
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Naho Konoike
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Katsuki Nakamura
- Cognitive Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Nakada
- Center for Integrated Human Brain Science, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
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Silva C, McNaughton N. Are periaqueductal gray and dorsal raphe the foundation of appetitive and aversive control? A comprehensive review. Prog Neurobiol 2019; 177:33-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2018] [Revised: 01/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Roy N, Dietrich M, Blomgren M, Heller A, Houtz DR, Lee J. Exploring the Neural Bases of Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia: A Case Study Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. J Voice 2019; 33:183-194. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2017.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Albin RL. Tourette Syndrome as a Disorder of the Social Decision Making Network. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:742. [PMID: 31649568 PMCID: PMC6792345 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Tourette syndrome is a common neurodevelopmental disorder defined by the presence of tics, stereotyped involuntary movements and phonations. Considerable evidence points to developmental abnormalities of the basal ganglia as tic substrates. Basal ganglia dysfunction does not account for important features of Tourette syndrome, including its natural history, male predominance, and the characteristic quality and distribution of tics. The latter mainly involve eye, face, and head movements, in addition to a variety of simple to complex phonations. A major normal function of these movements, and of phonations as well, is social signaling. Many important species- and sex-specific stereotyped social behaviors are mediated by a phylogenetically conserved network of subcortical nuclei, the social behavior network (SBN). Some SBN nuclei are sexually dimorphic, and SBN function is modulated strongly by gonadal steroids. Recent studies indicate that the SBN meshes with the basal ganglia to form a larger network, the Social Decision Making Network (SDM; O'Connell and Hofmann [2011]). The SDM concept overlaps significantly with Holstege's (1993) model of an emotional motor system mediating socially relevant facial movements and phonations. Dopaminergic signaling within the basal ganglia component of the SDM may regulate social act motivation with the SBN component responsible for act expression. Developmental SDM abnormalities can explain all major Tourette syndrome features, including natural history, male predominance, the characteristic distribution of tics, and their stereotyped quality. Some data directly support this hypothesis. Tourette syndrome may be a disorder of social communication manifesting primarily as abnormal involuntary movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger L Albin
- GRECC & Neurology Service, VAAAHS, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.,Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.,University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.,Michigan Alzheimer Disease Center, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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48
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Galgano J, Pantazatos S, Allen K, Yanagihara T, Hirsch J. Functional connectivity of PAG with core limbic system and laryngeal cortico-motor structures during human phonation. Brain Res 2018; 1707:184-189. [PMID: 30500402 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2018.11.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies in animals and humans suggest the periaqueductal grey region (PAG) is a final integration station between the brain and laryngeal musculature during phonation. To date, a limited number of functional magnetic neuroimaging (fMRI) studies have examined the functional connectivity of the PAG during volitional human phonation. An event-related, stimulus-induced, volitional movement paradigm was used to examine neural activity during sustained vocalization in neurologically healthy adults and was compared to controlled exhalation through the nose. The contrast of vocalization greater than controlled expiration revealed activation of bilateral auditory cortex, dorsal and ventral laryngeal motor areas (dLMA and vLMA) (p < 0.05, corrected), and suggested activation of the cerbellum, insula, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), amygdala, and PAG. The functionally defined PAG cluster was used as a seed region for psychophysiological interaction analysis (PPI) to identify regions with greater functional connectivity with PAG during volitional vocalization, while the above functionally defined amygdala cluster was used in an ROI PPI analysis. Whole-brain results revealed increased functional connectivity of the PAG with left vLMA during voicing, relative to controlled expiration, while trend-level evidence was observed for increased PAG/amygdala coupling during voicing (p = 0.07, uncorrected). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis confirmed structural connectivity between PAG and vLMA. The present study sheds further light on neural mechanisms of volitional vocalization that include multiple inputs from both limbic and motor structures to PAG. Future studies should include investigation of how these neural mechanisms are affected in individuals with voice disorders during volitional vocalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Galgano
- Program for Imaging & Cognitive Sciences (PICS), Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Rehabilitation, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Spiro Pantazatos
- Program for Imaging & Cognitive Sciences (PICS), Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Molecular Biology and Neuropathology Division, New York Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kachina Allen
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Ted Yanagihara
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA; New York Presbyterian - Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Joy Hirsch
- Program for Imaging & Cognitive Sciences (PICS), Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, UK
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Aboitiz F. A Brain for Speech. Evolutionary Continuity in Primate and Human Auditory-Vocal Processing. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:174. [PMID: 29636657 PMCID: PMC5880940 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review article, I propose a continuous evolution from the auditory-vocal apparatus and its mechanisms of neural control in non-human primates, to the peripheral organs and the neural control of human speech. Although there is an overall conservatism both in peripheral systems and in central neural circuits, a few changes were critical for the expansion of vocal plasticity and the elaboration of proto-speech in early humans. Two of the most relevant changes were the acquisition of direct cortical control of the vocal fold musculature and the consolidation of an auditory-vocal articulatory circuit, encompassing auditory areas in the temporoparietal junction and prefrontal and motor areas in the frontal cortex. This articulatory loop, also referred to as the phonological loop, enhanced vocal working memory capacity, enabling early humans to learn increasingly complex utterances. The auditory-vocal circuit became progressively coupled to multimodal systems conveying information about objects and events, which gradually led to the acquisition of modern speech. Gestural communication accompanies the development of vocal communication since very early in human evolution, and although both systems co-evolved tightly in the beginning, at some point speech became the main channel of communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Aboitiz
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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50
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Internal states and extrinsic factors both determine monkey vocal production. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:3978-3983. [PMID: 29581269 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1722426115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A key question for understanding speech evolution is whether or not the vocalizations of our closest living relatives-nonhuman primates-represent the precursors to speech. Some believe that primate vocalizations are not volitional but are instead inextricably linked to internal states like arousal and thus bear little resemblance to human speech. Others disagree and believe that since many primates can use their vocalizations strategically, this demonstrates a degree of voluntary vocal control. In the current study, we present a behavioral paradigm that reliably elicits different types of affiliative vocalizations from marmoset monkeys while measuring their heart rate fluctuations using noninvasive electromyography. By modulating both the physical distance between marmosets and the sensory information available to them, we find that arousal levels are linked, but not inextricably, to vocal production. Different arousal levels are, generally, associated with changes in vocal acoustics and the drive to produce different call types. However, in contexts where marmosets are interacting, the production of these different call types is also affected by extrinsic factors such as the timing of a conspecific's vocalization. These findings suggest that variability in vocal output as a function of context might reflect trade-offs between the drive to perpetuate vocal contact and conserving energy.
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