Meeting Abstract

P2-49   -   Understanding the Neural Basis of Complex Vocal Dynamics from a Comparative Perspective Barkan, C*; Lloyd-Burchett, OP; Schweitzer, M; Subramaniam, S; Leininger, E; Zornik, E; Reed College; Reed College; Reed College; Reed College; New College of Florida; Reed College ezornik@reed.edu

Vocal behavior is widespread across diverse species and mediates essential social interactions such as courtship, reproduction, and maintaining social hierarchies. In any social interaction vocal behaviors produced by a given individual vary dynamically based on a variety of social, environmental, and internal cues. How does the brain select appropriate communication signals based on these cues? Xenopus frogs produce vocalizations underwater to attract female mates, but how these patterns vary dynamically based on their interactions has not been well described. We examined male vocalizations in the presence of a female in two species, X. petersii and X. borealis. By pairing video and sound recordings of male-female pairs, we are investigating whether the social cues that trigger behavioral switching are conserved between species. Furthermore, isolated Xenopus brains produce fictive vocalizations, and these patterns can be studied in vitro by recording the activity of the laryngeal nerve. We compared the vocal patterns produced both in vivo and in vitro to understand if complex dynamics are recapitulated in the isolated brain and if these dynamics are regulated by neuromodulators such as serotonin. Ultimately, we predict that this experimentally integrative approach will allow us to link behavioral contexts to neurochemical signals that orchestrate behavioral switching.