Neural pathways of voice perception: a comparative dMRI study between humans and macaques.

Abstract

The processing of vocal stimuli in the human brain involves multiple regions that are selectively tuned to voice information. Similarly, voice-sensitive areas have been identified in macaques, suggesting a common neural mechanism across species. However, the structural connectivity underlying voice perception in both humans and macaques remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the structural connectivity of voice-sensitive regions in 4 humans and 3 macaques using awake functional MRI and diffusion MRI techniques. Our findings reveal that while humans and macaques differ in the anatomical organization of projections from the anterior Temporal Voice Area (aTVA), the organization of projections from the primary auditory cortex (A1) is nearly identical. Our results also demonstrate distinct connectivity patterns between the vocal areas of the two species, as well as an opposite pattern of lateralization of aTVA-A1 connectivity in humans and macaques. These results enhance our understanding of the neural circuits involved in voice perception and provide valuable insights into the comparative neurobiology of vocal communication.