A cooperatively breeding mouse shows flexible use of its vocal repertoire according to social context

Behavioural Brain Research, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 486, P. 115575 - 115575

Published: April 5, 2025

Mice exchange information using chemical, visual and acoustic signals. Long ignored, mouse ultrasonic communication is now considered to be an important aspect of their social life, transferring such as individual identity or stress levels. However, whether how mice modulate communications largely unknown. Here we show that the cooperatively breeding African striped Rhabdomys pumilio controls its vocal production both qualitatively quantitatively, depending on naturally relevant context. By conducting controlled experiments in captivity, found a repertoire consisting seven vocalisation types, which it uses differently different types interactions. Familiar individuals same sex vocalise more than two unfamiliar same-sex individuals. The greatest diversity vocalisations was recorded during encounter between female male, suggesting certain are mainly used for courtship. Our results highlight familiar may alternate while tend overlap one another. These observations suggest control temporal dynamics vocalisations, addressing targeted specific receivers via channel.

Language: Английский

A Cortical Site that Encodes Vocal Expression and Reception

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Oct. 16, 2024

Abstract Socially effective vocal communication requires brain regions that encode expressive and receptive aspects of in a social context-dependent manner. Here, we combined novel behavioral assay with microendoscopy to interrogate neuronal activity the posterior insula (pIns) socially interacting mice as they switched rapidly between states expression reception. We found distinct but spatially intermingled subsets pIns neurons were active during Notably, increased prior onset was also detected congenitally deaf mice, pointing motor signal. Furthermore, depended strongly on cues, including female odorants. Lastly, tracing experiments reveal deep layer directly bridge auditory thalamus midbrain gating region. Therefore, is site encodes reception manner depends context.

Language: Английский