在这项工作中，研究人员以组织学和离体扩散磁共振成像技术为主题，为支持鳍足动物意志声乐控制方面的累积神经适应的系统发育谱提供了证据。研究发现，北海狮和斑海豹（而非郊狼）在发声运动皮层和发声脑干核之间有直接的联系。斑海豹在前腹外侧丘脑和发声前运动皮层之间表现出了肥厚的连接——发声前运动皮层是与鸟类的发声学习以及人类和鹦鹉的模仿有关的前脑回路的一部分。该团队证明，斑海豹存在可能与发育性叫声学习相关的听觉-运动通路。
据介绍，海豹和海狮具有高度发达的意志呼吸控制，在此基础上，海豹还增加了发声学习，包括模仿。
附：英文原文
Title: Seal and sea lion brains have evolved to support volitional control of vocal behavior and learning
Author: Peter F. Cook, Andrew A. Rouse, Eva Sawyer, Karla Miller, Gregory Berns
Issue&Volume: 2026-03-12
Abstract: Seals and sea lions have highly developed volitional breathing control, to which the phocid seals add vocal production learning, including mimicry. In this work, using histology and ex vivo diffusion magnetic resonance imaging tractography, we provide evidence for a phylogenetic spectrum of accumulative neural adaptations supporting aspects of volitional vocal control across pinnipeds. Otariids and phocid seals, but not coyotes, have a direct connection between the vocal motor cortex and phonatory brainstem nuclei. Harbor seals showed hypertrophic connectivity between the anterior ventrolateral thalamus and the vocal premotor cortex—part of a forebrain circuit related to vocal learning in birds and mimicry in humans and parrots. We demonstrate that phocid seals have auditory-premotor pathways potentially related to developmental call learning.
DOI: adx9367
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx9367