Pomberger Thomas, Kaplan Katherine S, Carter Rene, Wetsel Autumn, Harmon Thomas C, Mooney Richard
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Cell Rep. 2025 Jun 24;44(6):115850. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115850. Epub 2025 Jun 14.
Socially effective vocal communication requires brain regions that encode expressive and receptive aspects of vocal communication in a social context-dependent manner. Here, we combined a novel behavioral assay with microendoscopic calcium imaging to interrogate neuronal activity (regions of interest [ROIs]) in the posterior insula (pIns) in socially interacting mice as they switched rapidly between states of vocal expression and reception. We found that largely distinct subsets of pIns ROIs were active during vocal expression and reception. Notably, pIns activity during vocal expression increased prior to vocal onset and was also detected in congenitally deaf mice, pointing to a motor signal. Furthermore, receptive pIns activity was modulated strongly by social context. Lastly, tracing experiments reveal that deep-layer neurons in the pIns directly bridge the auditory thalamus to a midbrain vocal gating region. Therefore, the pIns is a site that encodes vocal expression and reception in a manner that depends on social context.
具有社交有效性的声音交流需要大脑区域以依赖社会背景的方式对声音交流的表达和接受方面进行编码。在这里，我们将一种新颖的行为测定法与显微内窥镜钙成像相结合，以探究在社交互动小鼠快速在声音表达和接受状态之间切换时，后岛叶（pIns）中的神经元活动（感兴趣区域[ROIs]）。我们发现，在声音表达和接受过程中，pIns ROIs的很大一部分不同子集是活跃的。值得注意的是，声音表达过程中的pIns活动在声音开始之前就增加了，并且在先天性耳聋小鼠中也被检测到，这表明存在运动信号。此外，接受性pIns活动受到社会背景的强烈调节。最后，追踪实验表明，pIns中的深层神经元将听觉丘脑直接连接到中脑声音门控区域。因此，pIns是一个以依赖社会背景的方式对声音表达和接受进行编码的部位。
