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Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Mice During Exploratory Behavior are Context-Dependent.
Ho-Suk Mun1, Tatiana V Lipina2, John C Roder3
1Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada.
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
|December 24, 2015
Summary
Mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) change with environment. Novel conditions increased USV frequency and duration, with call characteristics linked to specific behaviors and stress levels in adult male mice.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Bioacoustics
- Animal Communication
Background:
- Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in rats correlate with stimuli valence.
- Limited research exists on adult mouse USVs linked to behavioral contexts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in relation to behaviors under varying environmental conditions.
- To understand how environmental novelty and stress intensity influence mouse vocalizations.
Main Methods:
- Recorded USVs from adult male C57BL/6J mice.
- Exposed mice to novel and familiar environments with varying stress (bright light, shallow water).
- Correlated USV characteristics (frequency, duration) with observed behaviors (rearing, walking).
Main Results:
- Mouse USVs were more frequent and longer in novel environments.
- Dimly-lit novel environments elicited high-frequency USVs during unsupported rearing and walking.
- Novel environments with supported rearing were associated with low-frequency USVs.
- Findings align with rat USV data linking low frequency to aversive and high frequency to non-stressful conditions.
Conclusions:
- Mouse USVs vary significantly with environmental context and behavioral states.
- Acoustic properties of mouse USVs can signal motivational and cognitive states.
- This study provides a foundation for using USVs as a biomarker in behavioral research.
