A lateralized functional auditory network is involved in anuran sexual selection

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Bioacoustics
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Right ear advantage (REA) is observed in many vertebrates, where the right ear and left hemisphere process conspecific acoustic signals, crucial for sexual selection.
• While ecological and neural mechanisms of sexual selection are studied, the underlying brain networks remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the asymmetry in auditory neural networks in the Emei music frog (Babina daunchina), a species exhibiting REA.
• To understand how these neural networks relate to REA and reproductive behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multi-channel electroencephalographic (EEG) data.
• Applied Granger causal connectivity analysis to examine neural network interactions.
• Studied the Emei music frog (Babina daunchina).

Main Results:

• Demonstrated asymmetric functioning of the auditory neural network connecting the midbrain and forebrain in Emei music frogs.
• Observed lateralization: stronger ascending connections (mesencephalon to telencephalon) on the left, and stronger descending connections (telencephalon to mesencephalon) on the right.
• Found that telencephalon to mesencephalon connections varied with reproductive stage and stimulus type (white noise vs. advertisement calls).
• Revealed sexually dimorphic changes in these connection patterns.

Conclusions:

• The auditory neural network in Emei music frogs is lateralized, potentially contributing to the observed REA.
• Forebrain inhibition may play a role in inducing REA.
• Auditory processing strategies shift between non-reproductive and reproductive stages, reflecting changes in attention and life strategy.
• Sex differences in reproductive roles are reflected in the neural network's sexually dimorphic plasticity.