Toward an evolutionary perspective on conceptual representation: Species-specific calls activate visual and affective processing systems in the macaque. Gil-da-Costa, R., Braun, A., Lopes, M., Hauser, M. D, Carson, R. E, Herscovitch, P., & Martin, A. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 101(50):17516-21, 2004.
doi  abstract   bibtex   
Non-human primates produce a diverse repertoire of species-specific calls and have rich conceptual systems. Some of their calls are designed to convey information about concepts such as predators, food, and social relationships, as well as the affective state of the caller. Little is known about the neural architecture of these calls, and much of what we do know is based on single-cell physiology from anesthetized subjects. By using positron emission tomography in awake rhesus macaques, we found that conspecific vocalizations elicited activity in higher-order visual areas, including regions in the temporal lobe associated with the visual perception of object form (TE/TEO) and motion (superior temporal sulcus) and storing visual object information into long-term memory (TE), as well as in limbic (the amygdala and hippocampus) and paralimbic regions (ventromedial prefrontal cortex) associated with the interpretation and memory-encoding of highly salient and affective material. This neural circuitry strongly corresponds to the network shown to support representation of conspecifics and affective information in humans. These findings shed light on the evolutionary precursors of conceptual representation in humans, suggesting that monkeys and humans have a common neural substrate for representing object concepts.
@Article{Gil-da-Costa2004,
  author   = {Ricardo Gil-da-Costa and Allen Braun and Marco Lopes and Marc D Hauser and Richard E Carson and Peter Herscovitch and Alex Martin},
  journal  = {Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A},
  title    = {Toward an evolutionary perspective on conceptual representation: {S}pecies-specific calls activate visual and affective processing systems in the macaque.},
  year     = {2004},
  number   = {50},
  pages    = {17516-21},
  volume   = {101},
  abstract = {Non-human primates produce a diverse repertoire of species-specific
	calls and have rich conceptual systems. Some of their calls are designed
	to convey information about concepts such as predators, food, and
	social relationships, as well as the affective state of the caller.
	Little is known about the neural architecture of these calls, and
	much of what we do know is based on single-cell physiology from anesthetized
	subjects. By using positron emission tomography in awake rhesus macaques,
	we found that conspecific vocalizations elicited activity in higher-order
	visual areas, including regions in the temporal lobe associated with
	the visual perception of object form (TE/TEO) and motion (superior
	temporal sulcus) and storing visual object information into long-term
	memory (TE), as well as in limbic (the amygdala and hippocampus)
	and paralimbic regions (ventromedial prefrontal cortex) associated
	with the interpretation and memory-encoding of highly salient and
	affective material. This neural circuitry strongly corresponds to
	the network shown to support representation of conspecifics and affective
	information in humans. These findings shed light on the evolutionary
	precursors of conceptual representation in humans, suggesting that
	monkeys and humans have a common neural substrate for representing
	object concepts.},
  doi      = {10.1073/pnas.0408077101},
  keywords = {Acoustic Stimulation, Animals, Brain, Concept Formation, Electrophysiology, Evolution, Female, Macaca mulatta, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Positron-Emission Tomography, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Species Specificity, Visual Perception, Vocalization, Animal, 15583132},
}

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