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Cortical representation of social communication in Egyptian fruit bats

Abstract

Social interactions often occur in group settings and are mediated by communication signals that are exchanged between individuals, frequently utilizing vocalizations. The neural representation of group social communication remains largely unexplored. Here, we conducted simultaneous wireless electrophysiological recordings from the frontal cortices of groups of Egyptian fruit bats engaged in both spontaneous and task-induced vocal interactions. We found that the activity of single neurons distinguished between vocalizations produced by self and others, as well as among specific individuals. Coordinated neural activity among group members exhibited stable bidirectional inter-brain correlation patterns specific to spontaneous communicative interactions. Tracking social and spatial arrangements within a group revealed a relationship between social preferences and intra- and inter-brain activity patterns. We also present preliminary results relating to the neural correlates of social-vocal interactions in juvenile bats. Combined, these findings reveal a dedicated neural repertoire for group social communication within and across the brains of freely communicating groups of bats.

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