Of mice, birds, and men: the mouse ultrasonic song system has some features similar to humans and song-learning birds.

ABSTRACT: Humans and song-learning birds communicate acoustically using learned vocalizations. The characteristic features of this social communication behavior include vocal control by forebrain motor areas, a direct cortical projection to brainstem vocal motor neurons, and dependence on auditory feedback to develop and maintain learned vocalizations. These features have so far not been found in closely related primate and avian species that do not learn vocalizations. Male mice produce courtship ultrasonic vocalizations with acoustic features similar to songs of song-learning birds. However, it is assumed that mice lack a forebrain system for vocal modification and that their ultrasonic vocalizations are innate. Here we investigated the mouse song system and discovered that it includes a motor cor

SUBMITTER: Arriaga G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3468587 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature