Sensitivity of the human temporal voice areas to nonhuman primate vocalizations
In recent years, research on voice processing in the human brain, particularly the study of temporal voice areas (TVAs), was dedicated almost exclusively to conspecific vocalizations. To characterize commonalities and differences regarding primate vocalization representations in the human brain, the inclusion of closely related nonhuman primates, namely chimpanzees and bonobos, is needed. We…
Recent research on voice processing in the human brain, specifically focusing on temporal voice areas (TVAs), has largely concentrated on vocalizations of conspecifics. To better understand the commonalities and differences in how the human brain represents primate vocalizations, it became necessary to include closely related nonhuman primates, primarily chimpanzees and bonobos.
The study's hypothesis was that neural similarities would be influenced by both evolutionary relationships and acoustic similarities, with chimpanzees being the closest to humans.
The study enlisted 23 human participants and presented them with vocalizations from four different primate species: rhesus macaques, chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. The researchers then adjusted for relevant acoustic parameters using three separate analyses. The results revealed bilateral anterior superior temporal gyrus activity within the TVAs for chimpanzee vocalizations, compared to the other species, nonhuman primates, and human vocalizations. Additionally, within-TVA activity was also noted for vocalizations from rhesus macaques.
The findings provide evidence that certain subregions of the TVA respond chiefly, though not exclusively, to vocalizations from phylogenetically and acoustically close nonhuman primates, particularly those of chimpanzees.
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