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Functional lateralization for auditory temporal processing in male and female rats
R H Fitch1, C P Brown, K O'Connor
1Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers State University of New Jersey 07102.
Behavioral Neuroscience
|October 1, 1993
Summary
Male rats exhibit superior auditory temporal processing in the right ear, suggesting evolutionary links to human speech specialization. Neonatal handling also enhances this brain lateralization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Auditory Processing
Background:
- Left-hemisphere specialization for auditory temporal processing is observed in humans and primates.
- Clinical evidence links auditory temporal processing and speech processing lateralization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate auditory temporal processing lateralization in rats.
- To explore sex differences and the impact of neonatal handling on this lateralization.
Main Methods:
- Three studies involving adult male and female rats.
- Discrimination tasks for tone sequences were utilized.
Main Results:
- Adult male rats demonstrated significantly better tone sequence discrimination with their right ear compared to their left.
- Male rats showed a stronger right-ear advantage than female rats.
- Neonatal handling was found to enhance auditory temporal processing lateralization in both sexes.
Conclusions:
- Rat auditory processing lateralization may reflect evolutionary precursors to human language specialization.
- Neuroendocrine mechanisms are implicated in the development of auditory processing lateralization.