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Sensory cortex plasticity supports auditory social learning

Psychology

Sensory cortex plasticity supports auditory social learning

N. Paraouty, J. D. Yao, et al.

Discover how social learning enriches the auditory skills of Mongolian gerbils! This groundbreaking study by Nihaad Paraouty and co-authors reveals that transient inactivation of the auditory cortex hampers the learning of tasks, highlighting the critical role of social interaction in auditory plasticity.

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~3 min • Beginner • English
Abstract
Social learning (SL) through experience with conspecifics can facilitate the acquisition of many behaviors. Thus, when Mongolian gerbils are exposed to a demonstrator performing an auditory discrimination task, their subsequent task acquisition is facilitated, even in the absence of visual cues. Here, we show that transient inactivation of auditory cortex (AC) during exposure caused a significant delay in task acquisition during the subsequent practice phase, suggesting that AC activity is necessary for SL. Moreover, social exposure induced an improvement in AC neuron sensitivity to auditory cues. The magnitude of neural change during exposure correlated with task acquisition during practice. In contrast, exposure to only auditory tasks led to poorer behavioral outcomes. Finally, social information during exposure was encoded in the AC of observer animals. Together, our results suggest that social experience supports auditory AC plasticity occurring during social exposure and prior to behavioral performance.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Sep 20, 2023
Authors
Nihaad Paraouty, Justin D. Yao, Léo Varnet, Chi-Ning Chou, SueYeon Chung, Dan H. Sanes
Tags
social learning
auditory discrimination
Mongolian gerbils
auditory cortex
neural plasticity
task acquisition
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