# The social neurobiology of vocal production and perception

> **NIH NIH R01** · PRINCETON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $387,716

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The functions of vocal communication occur not just through a shared understanding of the semantics and
syntax of a common language, but also through a temporal coordination of behavior between the two
individuals as well. This temporal coordination emerges spontaneously in any given conversation and is known
as vocal turn-taking. Given the central importance of vocal turn-taking in everyday human social interactions, it
is natural to ask what are its neural bases. Understanding the neural bases of vocal turn-taking may provide
insights into not only the basic mechanisms of a ubiquitous form of social interaction but may also illuminate
the mechanisms that go awry in disorders that include social dysfunction. In several psychiatric disorders, like
Parkinson's disease and autism, there are problems with vocal turn-taking that ultimately may lead to a lack of
social connectedness. What is needed is some basic knowledge of the neural mechanisms of vocal production
and perception, and their coordination during turn-taking, before we can develop a framework for investigating
the underlying neural causes of behavioral impairments that limit patients' capacities to become
communicatively-engaged with other individuals.
 We will quantitatively characterize turn-taking behavior in an animal model system and investigate its
neurobiology. Specifically, we will investigate during vocal production, perception and real-time turn-taking the
roles played by a medial frontal cortical structure—the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)—and a subcortical
network known as the “social behavior network” (SBN). A handful of studies established the ACC's important
role in vocal production, but none investigated ACC's role in vocal perception. The SBN is a set of
interconnected subcortical areas that are common across all vertebrates and that regulates a range of social
behaviors (feeding, aggression, reproduction and parental care); it includes structures such as the basal
ganglia, amygdala, periaqueductal gray area and hypothalamus (among other regions). Its putative role in
communication is unknown but many of its nodes overlap with those that are involved in vocal production. Our
aims will 1) develop a computational model of vocal turn-taking to generate specific neural hypotheses; 2) use
new imaging technology to investigate the large-scale network underlying vocal production and perception; and
3) use microstimulation and electrophysiology to directly test hypotheses gleaned from the model and imaging
data.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10204115
- **Project number:** 5R01NS054898-14
- **Recipient organization:** PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Asif Ghazanfar
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $387,716
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2007-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10204115

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10204115, The social neurobiology of vocal production and perception (5R01NS054898-14). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10204115. Licensed CC0.

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