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A feedforward inhibitory premotor circuit for auditory-vocal interactions in zebra finches.

ABSTRACT: Significance During conversations, we frequently alternate between listening and speaking. This involves withholding responses while the other person is vocalizing and rapidly initiating a reply once they stop. Similar exchanges also occur in other animals, such as songbirds, yet little is known about how brain areas responsible for vocal production are influenced by areas dedicated to listening. Here, we combined neural recordings and mathematical modeling of a sensorimotor circuit to show that input-dependent inhibition can both suppress vocal responses and regulate the onset latencies of vocalizations. Our resulting model provides a simple generalizable circuit mechanism by which inhibition precisely times vocal output and integrates auditory input within a premotor nucleus.

SUBMITTER: Norton P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9191632 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A feedforward inhibitory premotor circuit for auditory-vocal interactions in zebra finches.

Norton Philipp P Benichov Jonathan I JI Pexirra Margarida M Schreiber Susanne S Vallentin Daniela D

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20220603 23

During vocal exchanges, hearing specific auditory signals can provoke vocal responses or suppress vocalizations to avoid interference. These abilities result in the widespread phenomenon of vocal turn taking, yet little is known about the neural circuitry that regulates the input-dependent timing of vocal replies. Previous work in vocally interacting zebra finches has highlighted the importance of premotor inhibition for precisely timed vocal output. By developing physiologically constrained mat ...[more]

PMID: 35658073

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