Neural oscillations in the fronto-striatal network predict vocal output in bats

PLoS Biol. 2020 Mar 19;18(3):e3000658. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000658. eCollection 2020 Mar.

Abstract

The ability to vocalize is ubiquitous in vertebrates, but neural networks underlying vocal control remain poorly understood. Here, we performed simultaneous neuronal recordings in the frontal cortex and dorsal striatum (caudate nucleus, CN) during the production of echolocation pulses and communication calls in bats. This approach allowed us to assess the general aspects underlying vocal production in mammals and the unique evolutionary adaptations of bat echolocation. Our data indicate that before vocalization, a distinctive change in high-gamma and beta oscillations (50-80 Hz and 12-30 Hz, respectively) takes place in the bat frontal cortex and dorsal striatum. Such precise fine-tuning of neural oscillations could allow animals to selectively activate motor programs required for the production of either echolocation or communication vocalizations. Moreover, the functional coupling between frontal and striatal areas, occurring in the theta oscillatory band (4-8 Hz), differs markedly at the millisecond level, depending on whether the animals are in a navigational mode (that is, emitting echolocation pulses) or in a social communication mode (emitting communication calls). Overall, this study indicates that fronto-striatal oscillations could provide a neural correlate for vocal control in bats.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Caudate Nucleus / physiology
  • Chiroptera / physiology*
  • Echolocation / physiology
  • Frontal Lobe / physiology*
  • Neostriatum / physiology*
  • Nerve Net / physiology
  • Sound Spectrography
  • Vocalization, Animal / physiology*

Grants and funding

The project was conducted with funds provided by the German Research Foundation (DFG) to JCH (grant #275755787). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.