Multiple processes of vocal sensory-motor interaction in primate auditory cortex
Joji Tsunada1,2, Xiaoqin Wang3, Steven J Eliades4,5
1Auditory and Communication Systems Laboratory, Department of Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Nature Communications
|April 10, 2024
Summary
Auditory cortex uses two distinct corollary discharge signals for vocal self-monitoring. One precisely gates neural activity during vocalization, while the other tonically predicts vocal feedback.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Sensory-motor interactions are crucial for vocal control, mediated by corollary discharges predicting vocalization timing and acoustics.
- Evidence suggests corollary discharges may involve distinct suppression and feedback sensitivity processes, challenging single-mechanism theories.
- Previous single-neuron recordings struggled to differentiate these processes due to overlapping motor and sensory signals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and disentangle distinct corollary discharge processes in the auditory cortex during vocalization.
- To differentiate between neural suppression during vocalization and enhanced sensitivity to auditory feedback.
- To characterize the temporal dynamics and frequency selectivity of these processes in marmoset auditory cortex.
Main Methods:
- Single-neuron recordings were performed in the auditory cortex of marmosets producing multi-phrased 'twitter' vocalizations.
- Analysis focused on temporal response patterns and frequency tuning of neural activity relative to vocalization events.
- Distinguished between phasic and tonic suppression components and their relationship to vocal feedback.
Main Results:
- Two distinct timescales of vocal suppression were identified: rapid phasic suppression and sustained tonic suppression.
- Both phasic and tonic suppression occurred within individual neurons.
- Phasic suppression was broadly applied (gating), independent of frequency tuning, while tonic suppression was frequency-selective and related to vocal feedback (prediction).
Conclusions:
- The auditory cortex utilizes concurrent corollary discharges during vocalization, employing different computational mechanisms.
- Phasic suppression acts as a broad gate during vocal production.
- Tonic suppression selectively modulates auditory cortex based on vocal frequency and predicted feedback, supporting predictive coding models.
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