Neural Correlates of Vocal Perception in Marmoset Parents

• Applicant: Dr. Yasemin Betül Gültekin
• Subject Area: Cognitive, Systems and Behavioural Neurobiology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 462495285

Infants use innate vocal signals to maintain caregivers’ attention and induce response behaviour. These early vocalizations are indeed most crucial for distal communication and signal the need for immediate caregiving behaviour. The importance of early caregiver-infant interaction in infant’s survival as well as cognitive, social and language development has been well-documented for decades. Studies in humans indicate that contingent social responses to infant vocal behaviour by the caregivers have a great impact on infant’s vocal development. In replay, infant vocalisations guide parents’ responses and appear to have a strong impact on their brains. The neurophysiological basis of these child-parent interactions is, however, still not well understood, particularly in respect of abnormal behaviour. We previously showed that marmoset is a great model to study early parent-infant interactions. In the proposed project, the marmoset monkey will provide a highly suitable primate model for studying behavioural and neural aspects of early parent- infant vocal communication. I will combine neuroetheological experiments with advanced brain-imaging techniques in order to have for the first time a complete depiction of the parental responses in marmosets. The aim of this project will be to comprehensively analyse parental perception of different infant vocal cues by longitudinal behavioural and neuroimaging studies. By collecting vocal stimuli from infants at regular intervals and conducting multiple parental vocal perception experiments throughout the first postnatal year, we can cover almost the entire scope of parental perception of infant vocal cues during infants’ early development perspective. Using neuroimaging techniques, I will be tracing the marmoset parents’ behavioural and neural responses to the infant vocal cues, as well as the changes in brain structures and the neural networks due to parenting experience. Pilot experiments will reveal the differences between experienced and unexperienced breeding pairs, possible sex differences and correlations between behavioural and neuroimaging readouts. This project is an ideal starting point in creating a solid framework and establishing the marmoset monkey as the ideal model for investigating brain mechanisms of dynamic primate social communication, in healthy as well as the clinical conditions.

• DFG Programme: WBP Position