The laryngeal sensory pathway and its role in phonation. A brain lesioning study in the squirrel monkey.

In 10 squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) uni- or bilateral lesions were placed in the nucl. solitarius, parabrachial nuclei, nucl. ventralis posterior medialis thalami or face area of primary sensory cortex. The effects of these lesions on vocalization were compared with those after transection of the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve. It was found that neither the cortical nor thalamic or parabrachial lesions changed the acoustic structure of vocalization. In contrast, destruction of the nucl. solitarius, like transection of the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, affected vocalization severely. It is concluded that the production of species-specific vocalization depends upon a di- or, possibly, tri-synaptic laryngeal reflex control from tactile and proprioceptive laryngeal mechanoreceptors via nucl. solitarius and, possibly, lateral medullary reticular formation to nucl. ambiguus.