Temporal Association Cortex - A Cortical Hub for Processing Infant Vocalizations

Abstract

Social interactions are mediated by sensory perception and action. Mother-infant bonding is an interaction that rapidly develops following parturition. We studied how ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are represented in the brain of mothers, as they start caring for their newborn pups. Using a combination of anatomical, chemogenetic, and electrophysiological techniques, we found an area associated with maternal plasticity in a high-order cortical region - the temporal association cortex (TeA). Monosynaptic connections into TeA come from diverse input sources, both cortically and subcortically. Further, we identified a circuit connecting USV-responsive neurons from primary auditory cortex to TeA. Silencing USV-responsive neurons in the A1-TeA circuit impairs auditory-driven maternal choices towards pup calls, and mothers show a unique pattern of plasticity in TeA. TeA neurons become decorrelated in mothers, improving the detection of pup USVs in TeA. We thus suggest that TeA is a hub of plasticity for auditory-driven social cues.

Keywords: Social, Cortex, Auditory, Motherhood, maternal, ultrasonic vocalizations, TRAP, mouse, rabies tracing, electrophysiology, retrieval behavior.