Why do mice squeak? Toward a better understanding of defensive vocalization

Julia Ruat, Andreas J. Genewsky, Daniel E. Heinz, Sebastian F. Kaltwasser, Newton S. Canteras, Michael Czisch, Alon Chen, Carsten T. Wotjak

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Although mice mostly communicate in the ultrasonic range, they also emit audible calls. We demonstrate that mice selectively bred for high anxiety-related behavior (HAB) have a high disposition for emitting sonic calls when caught by the tail. The vocalization was unrelated to pain but sensitive to anxiolytics. As revealed by manganese-enhanced MRI, HAB mice displayed an increased tonic activity of the periaqueductal gray (PAG). Selective inhibition of the dorsolateral PAG not only reduced anxiety-like behavior but also completely abolished sonic vocalization. Calls were emitted at a fundamental frequency of 3.8 kHz, which falls into the hearing range of numerous predators. Indeed, playback of sonic vocalization attracted rats if associated with a stimulus mouse. If played back to HAB mice, sonic calls were repellent in the absence of a conspecific but attractive in their presence. Our data demonstrate that sonic vocalization attracts both predators and conspecifics depending on the context.

Original languageEnglish
Article number104657
JournaliScience
Volume25
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Jul 2022
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

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