Upfront: Singing Mice

Sorry this post is a little late, my internet at home wasn’t working correctly, so I couldn’t get this post done in time, but here it is anyways. Better late than never!

This mouse is "singing".

At Duke University in North Carolina, and interesting test has been done that may shed some light on human disabilities that affect vocal communication. It has been long known to scientists that male mice produce high frequency sounds, that have evolved by natural selection over a long period of time, to attract females to them during the mating season. A better call, attracts more females, making their mating success greater, so they can pass on their 'good' genes, which include the ability to 'sing'. But recently, scientists have discovered that the sounds are more like bird songs, being a familiar pattern of vocal tunes, and not just random sounds and pitches. Mice have joined the vocal learning group, consisting of humans, birds, and just a small amount of other animals.
The experiment run at Duke University included mice mating calls. Two males were placed in the same cage and the smaller, weaker, less dominant mouse gradually changed his vocal call to match the more dominant mouse’s call. Since mice are genetically similar to humans, this type of vocal learning may be used with humans that have disorders such as autism and anxiety disorders. If a human with ‘normal’ vocal learning was placed with a vocal learning disorder for an extended period of time, the vocally challenged human might be able to copy and reciprocate the same tone of the ‘normal’ human. The vocally disabled person could learn new strings of words, be able to break the disorder’s barrier, and communicate easier than before.

As is this male mouse.

If this theory works, vocally disordered people could change their lives forever. Disorders such as autism and anxiety disorders could ultimately be fixed, and we could close the gap mis-communication makes. My Mother’s friend’s son has autism and doesn’t communicate very well. If this treatment were available for him, it would change his live for ever! He would not get as agitated and frustrated when people misunderstand him. He would be able to talk to others and ultimately be ‘normal’.
Testing on how male mice change their vocal mating sounds to match more dominant male mice, may help the human species fix disorders that negatively affect human communication.

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"Upfront" Next Stop: American Idol (Rodents) Page 5 Issue: November 19,2012

So Long For Now, Caitlin