ABS 2023
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Did I hear voice-like sounds? Let’s tune in! A comparative dog-human fMRI study
Anna B�lint1, �d�m Szab�4, Attila Andics2,4,5, M�rta G�csi1,2. 1HUN-REN-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, H-1117 Budapest, P�zm�ny P�ter s�t�ny 1/C, Hungary, Budapest, , Hungary; 2Department of Ethology, E�tv�s Lor�nd University, H-1117 Budapest, P�zm�ny P�ter s�t�ny 1/C, Hungary, Budapest, , Hungary; 3MTA-ELTE �Lend�let� Neuroethology of Communication Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences � E�tv�s Lor�nd University, H-1117 Budapest, P�zm�ny P�ter s�t�ny 1/C, Hungary, Budapest, , Hungary; 4Department of Neuroradiology at the Medical Imaging Centre of the Semmelweis University, H-1082 Budapest, �llői �t 78a, Hungary, Budapest, , Hungary; 5ELTE NAP Canine Brain Research Group, H-1117 Budapest, P�zm�ny P�ter s�t�ny 1/C, Hungary, Budapest, , Hungary

Voice-sensitivity in mammals has been proposed to be determined primarily by tuning to conspecific auditory stimuli, but recent human findings indicate a role for a more general tuning to voicelikeness. Vocal emotional valence, a central characteristic of vocalisations, has been linked to the same basic acoustic parameters across species. To explore the role of voicelikeness in auditory emotional valence-sensitivity across species, we constructed artificial emotional sounds in two sound categories: voice-like vs. sine-wave sounds, parametrically modulating two main acoustic parameters, f0 and call length. We found cortical areas in both species that responded stronger to voice-like than to sine-wave stimuli, while there were no regions responding stronger to sine-wave sounds in either species. Additionally, we found that in bilateral primary and emotional valence-sensitive auditory regions of both species, the processing of voice-like and sine-wave sounds are modulated by f0 in opposite ways. These results reveal functional similarities between evolutionarily distant mammals for processing voicelikeness and its effect on processing basic acoustic cues of vocal emotions.