# Auditory & Integrative Functions of the Prefrontal Cortex

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2020 · $474,854

## Abstract

SUMMARY
The integration of facial gestures and vocal signals is an essential process in communication and
relies on an interconnected circuit of brain regions. The neural basis of face and vocal integration
is a topic of great importance since sensory integration is essential to speech perception and
object recognition and is impaired in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other intellectual
disabilities. Our previous investigations have shown that primate VLPFC, a proposed homologue
of human IFG, has neurons that are responsive to species-specific faces and that it integrates
these stimuli. Furthermore, VLPFC neurons are active during a crossmodal working memory
task with neurons demonstrating increased delay activity, match suppression & enhancement,
and activity that is tied to both task and stimulus factors. Importantly, VLPFC neuronal activity
is also critical for audiovisual working memory since temporary inactivation results in a decrease
in working memory performance. In this proposal we will focus on the role of two additional
cortical areas that are connected to VLPFC. Both the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)
and the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) are connected to VLPFC and have been shown to
support cognitive functions that are a part of audiovisual working memory. Furthermore, we will
address the lingering question of which features of face and vocal stimuli are integrated by
VLPFC neurons during audiovisual processing and we will expand our focus to ensembles of
VLPFC neurons in order to appropriately address this in Aim 3. We hypothesize that the
connected cortical areas VLPFC, DLPFC and MPFC play different but contributing roles in the
processing, integration and remembering of face and vocal information during social
communication.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9934178
- **Project number:** 5R01DC004845-19
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** LIZABETH M ROMANSKI
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $474,854
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2001-04-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9934178

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9934178, Auditory & Integrative Functions of the Prefrontal Cortex (5R01DC004845-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9934178. Licensed CC0.

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