Communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain

One of the main central processes affecting the cortical representation of conspecific vocalizations is the collateral output from the extended motor system for call generation. Before starting to study this interaction we sought to compare the characteristics of calls produced by stimulating four d...

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Main Authors: Green, David B., Shackleton, Trevor M., Grimsley, Jasmine M.S., Zobay, Oliver, Wallace, Mark N., Palmer, Alan R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50813/
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author Green, David B.
Shackleton, Trevor M.
Grimsley, Jasmine M.S.
Zobay, Oliver
Wallace, Mark N.
Palmer, Alan R.
author_facet Green, David B.
Shackleton, Trevor M.
Grimsley, Jasmine M.S.
Zobay, Oliver
Wallace, Mark N.
Palmer, Alan R.
author_sort Green, David B.
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description One of the main central processes affecting the cortical representation of conspecific vocalizations is the collateral output from the extended motor system for call generation. Before starting to study this interaction we sought to compare the characteristics of calls produced by stimulating four different parts of the brain in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). By using anaesthetised animals we were able to reposition electrodes without distressing the animals. Trains of 100 electrical pulses were used to stimulate the midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG), hypothalamus, amygdala, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Each structure produced a similar range of calls, but in significantly different proportions. Two of the spontaneous calls (chirrup and purr) were never produced by electrical stimulation and although we identified versions of chutter, durr and tooth chatter, they differed significantly from our natural call templates. However, we were routinely able to elicit seven other identifiable calls. All seven calls were produced both during the 1.6 s period of stimulation and subsequently in a period which could last for more than a minute. A single stimulation site could produce four or five different calls, but the amygdala was much less likely to produce a scream, whistle or rising whistle than any of the other structures. These three high-frequency calls were more likely to be produced by females than males. There were also differences in the timing of the call production with the amygdala primarily producing calls during the electrical stimulation and the hypothalamus mainly producing calls after the electrical stimulation. For all four structures a significantly higher stimulation current was required in males than females. We conclude that all four structures can be stimulated to produce fictive vocalizations that should be useful in studying the relationship between the vocal motor system and cortical sensory representation.
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spelling nottingham-508132018-03-29T13:14:59Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50813/ Communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain Green, David B. Shackleton, Trevor M. Grimsley, Jasmine M.S. Zobay, Oliver Wallace, Mark N. Palmer, Alan R. One of the main central processes affecting the cortical representation of conspecific vocalizations is the collateral output from the extended motor system for call generation. Before starting to study this interaction we sought to compare the characteristics of calls produced by stimulating four different parts of the brain in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). By using anaesthetised animals we were able to reposition electrodes without distressing the animals. Trains of 100 electrical pulses were used to stimulate the midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG), hypothalamus, amygdala, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Each structure produced a similar range of calls, but in significantly different proportions. Two of the spontaneous calls (chirrup and purr) were never produced by electrical stimulation and although we identified versions of chutter, durr and tooth chatter, they differed significantly from our natural call templates. However, we were routinely able to elicit seven other identifiable calls. All seven calls were produced both during the 1.6 s period of stimulation and subsequently in a period which could last for more than a minute. A single stimulation site could produce four or five different calls, but the amygdala was much less likely to produce a scream, whistle or rising whistle than any of the other structures. These three high-frequency calls were more likely to be produced by females than males. There were also differences in the timing of the call production with the amygdala primarily producing calls during the electrical stimulation and the hypothalamus mainly producing calls after the electrical stimulation. For all four structures a significantly higher stimulation current was required in males than females. We conclude that all four structures can be stimulated to produce fictive vocalizations that should be useful in studying the relationship between the vocal motor system and cortical sensory representation. Public Library of Science 2018-03-27 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50813/1/Green_vocalizations_PLOS_ONE2018.pdf Green, David B., Shackleton, Trevor M., Grimsley, Jasmine M.S., Zobay, Oliver, Wallace, Mark N. and Palmer, Alan R. (2018) Communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain. PlosOne, 13 (3). e0194091/1-e0194091/28. ISSN 1932-6203 vocalizations; electrical stimulation; amygdala; hypothalamus; anterior cingulate cortex; periaqueductal grey substance; http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0194091 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0194091 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0194091
spellingShingle vocalizations; electrical stimulation; amygdala; hypothalamus; anterior cingulate cortex; periaqueductal grey substance;
Green, David B.
Shackleton, Trevor M.
Grimsley, Jasmine M.S.
Zobay, Oliver
Wallace, Mark N.
Palmer, Alan R.
Communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain
title Communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain
title_full Communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain
title_fullStr Communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain
title_full_unstemmed Communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain
title_short Communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain
title_sort communication calls produced by electrical stimulation of four structures in the guinea pig brain
topic vocalizations; electrical stimulation; amygdala; hypothalamus; anterior cingulate cortex; periaqueductal grey substance;
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50813/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50813/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50813/