NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Science. 2019 Mar 1;363(6430):983-988. doi: 10.1126/science.aau9480.
Like many adaptive behaviors, acoustic communication often requires rapid modification of motor output in response to sensory cues. However, little is known about the sensorimotor transformations that underlie such complex natural behaviors. In this study, we examine vocal exchanges in Alston's singing mouse (). We find that males modify singing behavior during social interactions on a subsecond time course that resembles both traditional sensorimotor tasks and conversational speech. We identify an orofacial motor cortical region and, via a series of perturbation experiments, demonstrate a hierarchical control of vocal production, with the motor cortex influencing the pacing of singing behavior on a moment-by-moment basis, enabling precise vocal interactions. These results suggest a systems-level framework for understanding the sensorimotor transformations that underlie natural social interactions.
与许多适应性行为一样，声音交流通常需要快速修改运动输出以响应感觉提示。然而，对于这种复杂的自然行为背后的感觉运动转换知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们研究了阿尔斯顿鸣鼠（）的叫声交流。我们发现，雄性个体在社交互动中会在亚秒级的时间尺度上改变叫声行为，这种时间尺度类似于传统的感觉运动任务和会话语音。我们确定了一个口腔运动皮层区域，并通过一系列扰动实验，证明了声音产生的层次控制，运动皮层影响着歌声行为的节奏，从而实现了精确的声音互动。这些结果为理解自然社交互动背后的感觉运动转换提供了一个系统层面的框架。
