Vocal communication

…for interdisciplinary work on vocal communication, social behavior, sleep, and neural dynamics. The role combines bird behavior, high-density electrophysiology, optical imaging, closed-loop stimulation, custom instrument development, and Python or MATLAB analysis, with later opportunities to support human EEG and natural-speech studies.

Nicolas Mathevon examines the evolution of vocal communication through an analysis of songs from more than 3,000 passerine species. The study organizes their acoustic diversity into eight basic motifs and relates motif use to social organization, morphology, mating systems and sound transmission. Tropical forest conditions favor simpler signals such as flat whistles that travel effectively through dense habitat. In temperate regions, dense populations, short breeding seasons and stronger sexual selection favor complex signals such as rapid trills, despite their greater degradation during trans

Vocal communication is described as transfer of intraspecific signals between a sender and a receiver across humans and many animal species. It demands constant self-monitoring of vocal feedback to ensure precise emission of voice. The most representative phenomenon facilitated by vocal-feedback mechanism is known as the Lombard effect. Lombard effect, along with other spectro-temporal vocal modifications, is termed as noise-induced vocal modifications (NIVMs). However, despite the functional importance of NIVMs, our current knowledge of the neural mechanisms underlying this vital vocal feedba

…cortical areas associated with vocal perception to higher brain regions responsible for generating suitable responses to human vocal communication

Naked mole rats are highly vocal eusocial mammals, that rely heavily on vocal communication to form and maintain social groups. We are interested in researching how vocal development genes and neurogenesis markers are expressed in the naked mole rat brain at different developmental timepoints. Here we report preliminary data on immunohistochemical characterization of cortical expression of FOXP2 and Doublecortin in the naked mole rat brain. FOXP2, forkhead-box protein P2, is a transcription factor associated with speech and language. Doublecortin is a neurogenesis marker that shows newly gener

…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

Vocal communication is integral to the social behavior of vertebrates, with birds and mammals exhibiting especially sophisticated vocal interactions. Investigating these interactions and their neural underpinnings requires experimental designs that minimally disrupt natural behaviors. In this context, fully automated experimental setups are highly advantageous. Bats, known for their complex vocal repertoire and learning capabilities, engage in rapid vocal exchanges, posing a challenge for real-time analysis and interaction. Our research aimed to develop an automated MATLAB® based tool that lev

Vocal communication is of utmost importance in human and animal interactions. However, little is known regarding the physiological states underlying vocal signaling. It was thought for decades that the ability to decouple emotional states from the vocal output, indicating volitional control of vocalizations, was a clear distinction between humans and non-human primates, whose affective state was supposed to exclusively drive vocal behavior. Additionally, human speech involves a very sophisticated control of breathing with multiple units of sound produced during extended expirations. Novel evid

In the social context, animal species depend on vocal communication throughout their life, as they are the primary source of communication, yet the neurophysiological underpinnings of the perception of intra-specific communication signals are still poorly understood. The brain processes underpinning the capacity to discern between familiar and unfamiliar vocalizations is still in infancy among avian species. Previous studies have demonstrated that zebra finch neurons in the secondary auditory cortex (caudomedial nidopallium or NCM) respond differently to distant calls from familiar conspecific

…of meaning in nonhuman primate vocalizations. While nonhuman primate calls may be highly context specific, thus giving rise to the notion of ‘referentiality’, comparisons across closely related spe