Rodent ultrasonic communication and its relevance for models of neuropsychiatric disorders

Abstract

Mice and rats produce and perceive calls in the ultrasonic range (so-called ultrasonic vo­calizations, USV). Various USV types can be differentiated on the basis of distinct acous­tic features. Their occurrence is dependent on stage of development, affective state and so­cial context. When separated from nest and littermates, young mice and rats emit iso­lation-induced USV, which induce mater­nal search and retrieval behaviour. Isolation-induced USV are used as an early marker of anxiety. Adult rats emit fear-induced USV in aversive situations such as predator exposure. They fulfil an alarm function and induce anxi­ety-related behaviour in conspecifics. Fear-in­duced USV are also used in the field of anxi­ety research. Finally, juvenile and adult mice and rats emit interaction-induced USV in pre­sumably appetitive situations such as rough-and-tumble play or social investigation. As they can also be elicited by drugs of abuse, they are used in the field of addiction and de­pression research. They have an affiliative communicative function and induce social approach behaviour in the recipient. Focus­ing on the communicative function of inter­action-induced USV, they serve as a measure for deficits in social behaviour and communi­cation and hence are increasingly used in an­imal models for neurodevelopmental disor­ders such as autism.