Shigeto Yosida & Kazuo Okanoya (2012): Bilateral lesions of the medial
frontal cortex disrupt recognition of social hierarchy during antiphonal
communication in naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber). J. Comp. Physiol.
A 198 (2), 109-117.
Abstract: Generation of the motor patterns of emotional sounds in mammals
occurs in the periaqueductal gray matter of the midbrain and is not directly
controlled by the cortex. The medial frontal cortex indirectly controls
vocalizations, based on the recognition of social context. We examined
whether the medial frontal cortex was responsible for antiphonal
vocalization, or turn-taking, in naked mole-rats. In normal turn-taking,
naked mole-rats vocalize more frequently to dominant individuals than to
subordinate ones. Bilateral lesions of the medial frontal cortex disrupted
differentiation of call rates to the stimulus animals, which had varied
social relationships to the subject. However, medial frontal cortex lesions
did not affect either the acoustic properties of the vocalizations or the
timing of the vocal exchanges. This suggests that the medial frontal cortex
may be involved in social cognition or decision making during turn-taking,
while other regions of the brain regulate when animals vocalize and the
vocalizations themselves.
URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/p5u71421226p4451/
For reprints please contact Kazuo Okanoya (email:
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Sonja Amoser
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