研究人员发现，位于成年小鼠后疑核（RAmVOC）的兴奋性发声特异性喉前运动神经元是驱动声带闭合和诱发小鼠超声发声（USV）的必要和充分条件。RAmVOC激活的持续时间可决定USV音节和同时呼气期的长度，RAmVOC激活的影响取决于呼吸阶段。
RAmVOC神经元会受到前包钦格复合体的抑制，而吸气需要覆盖RAmVOC介导的声带闭合。去除RAmVOC神经元的抑制性突触会影响喉头内收的吸气门控，导致发声与呼吸不协调。这项研究揭示了发声和呼吸协调的回路。
据介绍，发音在很大程度上取决于喉部肌肉与正在进行的呼吸协调的精确控制。然而，支配这些过程的神经机制仍不清楚。
附：英文原文
Title: Brainstem control of vocalization and its coordination with respiration
Author: Jaehong Park, Seonmi Choi, Jun Takatoh, Shengli Zhao, Andrew Harrahill, Bao-Xia Han, Fan Wang
Issue&Volume: 2024-03-08
Abstract: Phonation critically depends on precise controls of laryngeal muscles in coordination with ongoing respiration. However, the neural mechanisms governing these processes remain unclear. We identified excitatory vocalization-specific laryngeal premotor neurons located in the retroambiguus nucleus (RAmVOC) in adult mice as being both necessary and sufficient for driving vocal cord closure and eliciting mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). The duration of RAmVOC activation can determine the lengths of both USV syllables and concurrent expiration periods, with the impact of RAmVOC activation depending on respiration phases. RAmVOC neurons receive inhibition from the preBtzinger complex, and inspiration needs override RAmVOC-mediated vocal cord closure. Ablating inhibitory synapses in RAmVOC neurons compromised this inspiration gating of laryngeal adduction, resulting in discoordination of vocalization with respiration. Our study reveals the circuits for vocal production and vocal-respiratory coordination.
DOI: adi8081
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi8081