In humans, sound perceived as speech is processed preferentially by the right ear and the left hemisphere of the brain. Among animals, such an advantage of one hemisphere (lateralization) in processing communication sound from other members of the species has so far been demonstrated only in macaque monkeys. I report here that in the house mouse, which has a very much less elaborate forebrain than man or macaque monkey, the ultrasonic calls that are emitted by young mice to evoke maternal caring behavior are preferentially recognized by the left hemisphere. In females with no experience of pups, which have been trained to respond to the same ultrasonic calls by conditioning, no advantage for one hemisphere is detected. The results suggest that lateralization of this function evolved early in mammals and emphasize that an innate predisposition for perceiving communication sounds is connected with a left-hemisphere advantage in processing them. This experimental system is a readily-available animal model for studying lateralized auditory brain functions.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/325249a0DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

left hemisphere
12
advantage hemisphere
8
ultrasonic calls
8
advantage
4
hemisphere advantage
4
advantage mouse
4
mouse brain
4
brain recognizing
4
recognizing ultrasonic
4
ultrasonic communication
4

Similar Publications

Hemispheric co-lateralization of language and spatial attention reduces performance in dual-task.

Brain Lang

January 2025

Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (MOE & STCSM), Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), Institute of Brain and Education Innovation, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai 200335, China; Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Technology, East China Normal University, China; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address:

Hemispheric specialization of different functions is proposed to confer evolutionary benefits, yet the behavioral impacts of lateralization and its cognitive and neural mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated the effect of lateralization pattern between language and spatial attention on dual-task performance and its association with callosal connectivity. Functional lateralization was assessed using fMRI verbal fluency and landmark tasks, and interhemispheric connections were evaluated through diffusion-weighted imaging.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

People with aphasia show stable Cumulative Semantic Interference (CSI) when tested repeatedly in a web-based paradigm: A perspective for longitudinal assessment.

Cortex

December 2024

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Berlin, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neurology, Leipzig, Germany; University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Leipzig, Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, Leipzig, Germany.

Retrieving words quickly and correctly is an important language competence. Semantic contexts, such as prior naming of categorically related objects, can induce conceptual priming but also lexical-semantic interference, the latter likely due to enhanced competition during lexical selection. In the continuous naming (CN) paradigm, such semantic interference is evident in a linear increase in naming latency with each additional member of a category out of a seemingly random sequence of pictures being named (cumulative semantic interference/CSI effect).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Treatment Options for Nosocomial Ventriculitis/Meningitis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Pathogens

December 2024

Intensive Care Unit, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece.

Ventriculo-meningitis or nosocomial meningitis/ventriculitis is a severe nosocomial infection that is associated with devastating neurological sequelae. The cerebrospinal fluid isolates associated with the infection can be Gram-positive or -negative, while the spp. is rarely identified.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Exploring Brain Size Asymmetry and Its Relationship with Predation Risk Among Chinese Anurans.

Biology (Basel)

January 2025

Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong 637009, China.

Brain size asymmetry differs considerably across species, including humans, vertebrates, and invertebrates. The subtle structural, functional, or size differences between the two brain sides are associated with processing specific cognitive tasks. To evaluate the differences between the sizes of the left and right sides of the whole brain and brain regions and the effect of predation risk (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hydrolethalus Syndrome: A Case of a Rare Congenital Disorder.

Diagnostics (Basel)

January 2025

Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, "Vasile Goldiș" Western University of Arad, 94-96 Revolutiei Blvd., 310025 Arad, Romania.

This is a fatal case of multiple complicated congenital anomalies displaying several symptoms consistent with hydrolethalus syndrome. The newborn's phenotype is characterized by a combination of serious anatomical abnormalities such as open-book cerebral hemispheres, defective lobulation of the lungs (one lobe on the left, two on the right), a smaller right kidney, a smooth cerebral surface, and a specific keyhole-shaped defect in the skull base, primarily associated with hydrocephalus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!