Topic: ultrasonic vocalizations

Perception of vocalizations is critical for many species. In mammals, the central auditory pathway is highly interconnected, with corticofugal feedback projections from auditory cortex (AC) to the auditory midbrain that rival the density of feed-forward auditory input. These projections support sound localization, feature coding, and noise invariance. Because vocalizations are acoustically complex and carry social significance, we hypothesize that feedback projections from AC enable behavioral responses. Infant vocalizations that elicit parental care are highly conserved in mammals. In mice, e

Learning requires the formation or modification of neural circuits – an extraordinary showcase of the brain’s plasticity. Despite an established appreciation for the reorganizational capabilities of the brain, the exact mechanisms that enable experience-dependent plasticity remain unknown. The goal of this work is to uncover how circuitry of the auditory cortex (AC) facilitates learning of an auditory-driven maternal retrieval behavior in mice. Mouse pups emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) when they are separated from the nest which cues maternal retrieval - a learned response to these distr

How does the brain derive meaning from social vocalizations and drive behavior in response? Vocalizations are temporally complex, requiring integration across multiple time-scales for appropriate contextualization. We hypothesize that corticofugal projections modulate temporal integration in feed-forward auditory circuits to facilitate this. We tested this using an ethological mouse behavior that depends on left auditory cortex. Mothers find and retrieve isolated pups into the nest when pups emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). Virgin females don’t usually retrieve pups, but learn after sever

GRIN1 disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by variation to the Grin1 gene; responsible for coding the obligatory GluN1 subunit of NMDA receptors. Individuals with GRIN1 disorder display developmental delay and speech is absent in almost half of patients. The Grin1Y647S/+ patient variant occurs within the M3 transmembrane domain of GluN1 and the patient displays limited speech consisting of 5-10 words. The Grin1Q536R/+ patient variant occurs in the S1 segment of the ligand binding domain of GluN1 and the patient has active speech with a relatively large vocabulary. We aimed t

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a neuromuscular syndrome caused by mutations within the DMD gene. DMD is associated with intellectual disability, behavioral disturbances and neuropsychiatric disorders. The presence and severity of these disorders, particularly social behavior disorders, seem to vary according to the position of the mutations affecting one or more brain dystrophins. However, the genotype-phenotype relationships underlying these troubles are not defined. In this study, we explored the involvement of brain dystrophins in social disorders using several DMD mouse models. We us

Vitamin D has been utilized gestationally in both animal models of autism and human studies with promising efficacy. Robust meta-analyses in autism have linked the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene, which stands out as one of the few consistently surviving meta-analyses in autism research. This suggests a potential role for vitamin D in the etiology or modulation of autism spectrum disorders. Our study aims to investigate the effects of prenatal vitamin D3 supplementation on neurodevelopmental outcomes in Wistar rat offspring. We focus on indicators of autistic-like behaviors (such as ultrasonic v

Direct physical interaction is an essential aspect of social interaction in various mammal species. Restricting such interaction in mice lead to the observation of specific separation-induced social communication.Here, we separated sex- and age-matched mice from each other using a transparent Plexiglas divider containing a porous section at its bottom. Following this separation phase, the divider was removed, and mice were allowed to freely interact with one another. During both the separation and unification phases audio and video were recorded. Separated mice emitted a set of vocalizations d

Serotonin (5-HT) plays a prominent role in a range of psychiatric disorders. Besides acting as a neurotransmitter, 5-HT is a neurotrophic factor during brain development, contributing to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Although neglected so far, the maternal 5-HTergic genotype may play a role in the offspring’s brain function and behavior, as both the placenta-derived 5-HT during pregnancy and the maternal care during early childhood. To initiate early intervention in NDDs, we aim to (1) understand the atypical development influenced by maternal 5-HTergic genotype, and (2) investigate if

Oxytocin is essential in shaping social behavior across the lifespan. While the role of oxytocin signaling in parental care has been widely investigated, little is known about its function in social behavior during early life. This is partly due to the lack of precise technologies for studying the developing brain. In mice, the expression of the oxytocin receptor peaks during the second and third weeks of life, suggesting that oxytocin signaling is important at this early stage. Here, we studied the role of oxytocin in pup social behavior under acute separation from and reunion with the mother

Imprinted genes are expressed throughout the brain, exhibiting distinct allelic distribution in specific regions. To understand the imprinting status and their role in brain functions, we investigated the specific effects of uniparental disomy (UPD) by using a mouse model called Mosaic Analysis with Double Markers (MADM), which allows for the production of maternal and paternal UPD cell populations within the brain.By in silico enrichment analysis, chromosomes 2, 7, and 12 appear to be enriched in imprinted and behaviorally relevant genes, with different effects on post-natal development. Spec