Any account of “what is special about the human brain”(Passingham 2008) must specify the
neural basis of our unique ability to produce speech and delineate how these remarkable …

The gradual audiomotor evolution hypothesis is proposed as an alternative interpretation to
the auditory timing mechanisms discussed in Ackermann et al.'s article. This hypothesis …

Two of the roles assigned to the basal ganglia in spoken language parallel very well their
contribution to motor behaviour:(1) their role in sequence processing, resulting in syntax …

Ackermann et al. provide an informative neurological road-map to primate call
communication. However, the proposed model for speech evolution inadequately integrates …

We argue that a comprehensive model of human vocal behaviour must address both
voluntary and involuntary aspects of articulate speech and non-verbal vocalizations. Within …

Contradicting new dual-pathway models of language evolution, cortico-striatal-thalamic
circuitry disambiguate uncertainties in affective prosody and propositional linguistic content …

Research on acoustic communication and its underlying neurobiological substrates has led
to new insights about the functioning of central pattern generators (CPGs). CPG-related …

Neuroimaging studies have verified the important integrative role of the basal ganglia during
affective vocalizations. They, however, also point to additional regions supporting vocal …

Early development of vocalization in humans is characterized by emerging control of
phonation, rather than of prosody or supraglottal articulation. This fact offers an opportunity …

In response to: Brain mechanisms of acoustic communication in humans and nonhuman
primates: An evolutionary perspective Abstract: Ackermann et al.'s arguments in the target …