Neurobiology of Social Communication

Understanding the Neurobiology of Vocal Communication

Our research aims to understand the neurobiology underlying vocal communication. We tackle four main challenges within this field: (1) The neural basis for cognitive call production as a putative phylogenetic precursor for speech control in humans, (2) the role of cortical and sub-cortical mechanisms underlying audio-vocal integration processes, which are involved in audio-vocal communication, (3) intrinsic properties of the vocal pattern generating network in the brainstem and (4) the influence of social interaction on early vocal development. We use a combination of behavioral, psychophysical, neuroethological and neurophysiological methodologies to tackle our question.

Selected Publications

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Gultekin YB, Hildebrand DGC, Hammerschmidt K, Hage SR (2021) High plasticity in marmoset monkey vocal development from infancy to adulthood. Science Advances 7, eabf2938
Risueno-Segovia C, Hage SR (2020) Theta synchronization of phonatory and articulatory systems in marmoset monkey vocal production. Current Biology 30, 4276–4283.
Pomberger T*, Risueno-Segovia C*, Gultekin YB*, Dohmen D*, Hage SR (2019) Cognitive control of complex motor behavior in marmoset monkeys. Nature Communications 10, 3796 (*authors contribute equally)
Pomberger T*, Risueno-Segovia C*, Löschner J, Hage SR (2018) Precise motor control enables rapid flexibility in vocal behavior of marmoset monkeys. Current Biology 28, 788-794 (*authors contribute equally)
Hage SR, Nieder A (2013) Single neurons in monkey prefrontal cortex encode volitional initiation of vocalizations. Nature Communications 4, 2409