Mapping the distribution of language related genes FoxP1, FoxP2, and CntnaP2 in the brains of vocal learning bat species

Rodenas-Cuadrado, Pedro; Mengede, Janine; Baas, Laura; Devanna, Paolo; Schmid, Tobias A.; Yartsev, Michael M.; Firzlaff, Uwe; Vernes, Sonja C.

doi:10.1002/cne.24385

Cited by 25 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 104 publications

(196 reference statements)

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“…Tracing, electrophysiological, optogenetic, and neuroimaging techniques can shed light on the neural circuitry involved in vocal learning in the bat brain.Such studies can answer questions about the connectivity of a vocal learning brain, as well as whether bats have a direct connection between the cortex and laryngeal motor neurons. At a genetic level we can determine if there is a causative link between known language-related genes (such as FoxP2[111]) by knocking down gene expression in the bat brain and observing the effect on behavior. Genomic and transcriptomic studies contrasting vocal learners and nonlearners will allow us to uncover new, potential causative genes as well as wider molecular networks that underlie bat vocal learning abilities.…”

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confidence: 99%

Behaviour, biology, and evolution of vocal learning in bats

Vernes

Wilkinson

2019

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The comparative approach can provide insight into the evolution of human speech, language, and social communication by studying relevant traits in animal systems. Bats are emerging as a model system with great potential to shed light on these processes given their learned vocalisations, close social interactions, and mammalian brains and physiology. A recent framework outlined the multiple levels of investigation needed to understand vocal learning across a broad range of nonhuman species including cetaceans, pinnipeds, elephants, birds and bats. Herein we apply this framework to the current state of the art in bat research. This encompasses our understanding of the abilities bats have displayed for vocal learning, what is known about the timing and social structure needed for such learning, and current knowledge about the prevalence of the trait across the order. It also addresses the biology (vocal tract morphology, neurobiology, and genetics) and phylogenetics of this trait. We conclude by highlighting some key questions that should be answered to advance our understanding of the biological encoding and evolution of speech and spoken communication.

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confidence: 99%

Behaviour, biology, and evolution of vocal learning in bats

Vernes

Wilkinson

2019

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“…Children learn contact calls from their mothers [28]. Controllable symbolic vocal language starts with vocal locators such as territory locator as territorial song and mother loca- [32]. They have vocal production learning (VPL) which is the ability to learn to modify vocal outputs in response to auditory feedback [33].…”

Section: Language Formationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…FOXP1 mutations show the overlapping of both motor and cognition disorders. In the mapping of the distribution of linguistic genes in the bats [32], the expressions of CNTNAP2 often showed an inverse pattern to the expressions of FOXP2. The expressions of FOXP1 located in more brain regions than the expressions of FOXP2.…”

Section: Language Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The six language types. Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science FOXP2, and CNTNAP2 in the brains of vocal learning bat species[32], FOXP2 is the gene mostly for linguistic motor learning, CNTNAP2 gene is the gene mostly for linguistic cognitive learning, and FOXP1 is the gene for mostly linguistic overlap learning to overlap linguistic motor learning and linguistic cognitive learning. The overlapping between linguistic motor learning from FOXP2 and linguistic cognitive learning from CNTNAP2 is at minimum.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Language Neuromechanics: The Human Biological-Language Evolution

Chung¹

2018

JBBS

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The paper proposes that the understanding of human language evolution requires the comprehensive understanding of language in terms of language types, formations, and learnings and the comprehensive understanding of human biological evolution in terms of the emergences of various hominin species with various language capacities. This paper proposes language neuromechanics and the human biological-language evolution. Language is derived from bodily movement. Language neuromechanics combines neuroscience to study language brain and biomechanics to study language movement. Language neuromechanics consists of language type, language formation, and language learning. Language types for advanced animals include gestural language verse vocal language, instinctive language verse controllable language, and symbolic language verse iconic language. Language formation involves the developments of the different types of languages from different bodily movements phylogenetically and ontogenetically. Language learning involves the learning of controllable language to adapt to communicative environment through language brain regions and language genes. This paper proposes a gradual and step-by-step human language evolution from the language of great apes to the human language through the human biological evolution which chronologically and geographically consists of early hominins, early Homos, middle Homos, and late Homos with different language capacities. For hominins, vocal language and gestural language were evolved together. In conclusion, combining neuroscience and biomechanics, language neuromechanics provides the comprehensive understanding of language. The combination of language neuromechanics and the human biological-language evolution provides the clear evolutionary path from great apes' articulate gestural language without articulate speech to human articulate gestural language and articulate speech.

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“…Various vertebrate species show a conserved coding sequence and similar Foxp2 expression patterns in homologous brain regions, prominently in cortex, striatum, thalamus and cerebellum (Ferland, Cherry, Preware, Morrisey, & Walsh, 2003; Rodenas-Cuadrado et al, 2018; Takahashi, Liu, Hirokawa, & Takahashi, 2003; Takahashi et al, 2008). This has led to study Foxp2 functions in animal models to delineate mechanisms potentially recruited and adapted in human evolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mice carrying a humanizedFoxp2knock-in allele show region-specific shifts of striatal Foxp2 expression levels

Schreiweis

Irinopoulou

Vieth

et al. 2019

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Genetic and clinical studies of speech and language disorders are providing starting points to unravel underlying neurobiological mechanisms. The gene encoding the transcription factor FOXP2 has been the first example of a gene involved in the development and evolution of this human-specific trait. A number of autosomal-dominant FOXP2 mutations are associated with developmental speech and language deficits indicating that gene dosage plays an important role in the disorder. Comparative genomics studies suggest that two human-specific amino acid substitutions in FOXP2 might have been positively selected during human evolution. A knock-in mouse model carrying these two amino acid changes in the endogenous mouse Foxp2 gene (Foxp2hum/hum) shows profound changes in striatum-dependent behaviour and neurophysiology, supporting a functional role for these changes. However, how this affects Foxp2 expression patterns in different striatal regions and compartments has not been assessed. Here, we characterized Foxp2 protein expression patterns in adult striatal tissue in Foxp2hum/hum mice. Consistent with prior reports in wildtype mice, we find that striatal neurons in Foxp2hum/hum mice and wildtype littermates express Foxp2 in a range from low to high levels. However, we observe a shift towards more cells with higher Foxp2 expression levels in Foxp2hum/hum mice, significantly depending on the striatal region and the compartment. As potential behavioural readout of these shifts in Foxp2 levels across striatal neurons, we employed a morphine sensitization assay. While we did not detect differences in morphine-induced hyperlocomotion during acute treatment, there was an attenuated hyperlocomotion plateau during sensitization in Foxp2hum/hum mice. Taken together, these results suggest that the humanized Foxp2 allele in a mouse background is associated with a shift in striatal Foxp2 protein expression pattern.

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Mapping the distribution of language related genes FoxP1, FoxP2, and CntnaP2 in the brains of vocal learning bat species

Cited by 25 publications

References 104 publications

Behaviour, biology, and evolution of vocal learning in bats

Behaviour, biology, and evolution of vocal learning in bats

Language Neuromechanics: The Human Biological-Language Evolution

Mice carrying a humanizedFoxp2knock-in allele show region-specific shifts of striatal Foxp2 expression levels

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