Echolocation calls and communication calls are controlled differentially in the brainstem of the bat Phyllostomus discolor.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Echolocating bats emit vocalizations that can be classified either as echolocation calls or communication calls. Neural control of both types of calls must govern the same pool of motoneurons responsible for vocalizations. Electrical microstimulation in the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) elicits both communication and echolocation calls, whereas stimulation of the paralemniscal area (PLA) induces only echolocation calls. In both the PAG and the PLA, the current thresholds for triggering natural vocalizations do not habituate to stimuli and remain low even for long stimulation periods, indicating that these structures have relative direct access to the final common pathway for vocalization. This study intended to clarify whether echolocation calls and communication call

SUBMITTER: Fenzl T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1190161 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature