Abstract

It is commonly accepted that language functions are processed asymmetrically in the human brain, with theleft hemisphere dominant. It is believed that this lateralization enables the rapid perception, organization,and production of the complex acoustic signals that are essential for human spoken language. For thoseinterested in the evolution of both the behavioral and neurological substrates of human speech, it isimperative to examine the phylogenetic origins of this neural lateralization. One way to approach this issueis to study the neuroanatomical structures involved in the perception and processing of nonhuman primatevocal signals. Advances in functional neural imaging techniques now make it possible to examine thesesystems in vivo. The following project is proposed to determine whether or not chimpanzees, Pantroglodytes, perceive and process communicatively salient vocalizationsvia a left- lateralized mechanism.To accomplish this aim, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) will be used to visualize neuronal activity inchimpanzees while perceiving conspecific vocalizations.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
5F32DC007823-03
Application #
7338005
Study Section
Communication Disorders Review Committee (CDRC)
Program Officer
Cyr, Janet
Project Start
2006-01-02
Project End
2008-08-31
Budget Start
2008-01-01
Budget End
2008-08-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$35,952
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
Emory University
Department
Type
Other Domestic Higher Education
DUNS #
066469933
City
Atlanta
State
GA
Country
United States
Zip Code
30322

  Publications

Talkington, William J; Taglialatela, Jared P; Lewis, James W (2013) Using naturalistic utterances to investigate vocal communication processing and development in human and non-human primates. Hear Res 305:74-85
Taglialatela, Jared P; Russell, Jamie L; Schaeffer, Jennifer A et al. (2009) Visualizing vocal perception in the chimpanzee brain. Cereb Cortex 19:1151-7
Hopkins, William D; Taglialatela, Jared P; Meguerditchian, Adrien et al. (2008) Gray matter asymmetries in chimpanzees as revealed by voxel-based morphometry. Neuroimage 42:491-7
Taglialatela, Jared P; Russell, Jamie L; Schaeffer, Jennifer A et al. (2008) Communicative signaling activates 'Broca's'homolog in chimpanzees. Curr Biol 18:343-8
Taglialatela, Jared P; Dadda, Marco; Hopkins, William D (2007) Sex differences in asymmetry of the planum parietale in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Behav Brain Res 184:185-91
Taglialatela, Jared P; Cantalupo, Claudio; Hopkins, William D (2006) Gesture handedness predicts asymmetry in the chimpanzee inferior frontal gyrus. Neuroreport 17:923-7