Abstract
Vocal communication is a sensory-motor process requiring auditory self-monitoring to correct errors and to ensure accurate vocal production. When presented with altered speech feedback, humans rapidly change their speech to compensate. Although previous evidence has demonstrated suppression of auditory cortex during both speech and animal vocalization, the specific role of auditory cortex in such feedback-dependent control is unknown. Here we show the relationship between neural activity in the auditory cortex and feedback-dependent vocal control in marmoset monkeys. We demonstrate that marmosets, like humans, exhibit feedback control of vocal acoustics. We further show that feedback-sensitive activity of auditory cortex neurons predict such compensatory vocal changes. Finally, we demonstrate that electrical microstimulation of auditory cortex rapidly evokes similar changes in vocal production. These results are evidence for a causal role of auditory cortex in vocal self-monitoring and feedback-dependent control, and have implications for understanding human speech motor control.
Highlights
Vocal communication is a sensory-motor process requiring auditory self-monitoring to correct errors and to ensure accurate vocal production
Combining chronic neural recordings from auditory cortex during vocalization with frequency-shifted vocal feedback, we demonstrate that neurons in the auditory cortex predict compensatory vocal behaviors, and using electrical microstimulation we provide direct evidence that auditory cortex activity can evoke changes in vocal production
In this study we examined the role of the auditory cortex in feedback-dependent vocal control
Summary
Vocal communication is a sensory-motor process requiring auditory self-monitoring to correct errors and to ensure accurate vocal production. We demonstrate that electrical microstimulation of auditory cortex rapidly evokes similar changes in vocal production These results are evidence for a causal role of auditory cortex in vocal selfmonitoring and feedback-dependent control, and have implications for understanding human speech motor control. Requires continuous self-monitoring of speech to detect and compensate for errors of production and perceived changes in vocal output[1] This sensory-motor mechanism uses auditory feedback of produced vocal sounds to enable control and rapid correction of a variety of speech parameters, including amplitude, pitch, and formant frequencies[2,3,4]. Combining chronic neural recordings from auditory cortex during vocalization with frequency-shifted vocal feedback, we demonstrate that neurons in the auditory cortex predict compensatory vocal behaviors, and using electrical microstimulation we provide direct evidence that auditory cortex activity can evoke changes in vocal production
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