{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T10:48:49Z","timestamp":1790765329501,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"The Royal Society","issue":"1836","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,6]],"date-time":"2021-09-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1630886400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/royalsociety.org\/-\/media\/journals\/author\/Licence-to-Publish-20062019-final.pdf"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,6]],"date-time":"2021-09-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1630886400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/royalsociety.org\/journals\/ethics-policies\/data-sharing-mining\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,6]],"date-time":"2021-09-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1630886400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/royalsociety.org\/journals\/ethics-policies\/data-sharing-mining\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Max Planck Research Group"},{"name":"IMPRS for language sciences"},{"name":"UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship","award":["MR\/T021985\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MR\/T021985\/1"]}]},{"name":"Human Frontiers Science Program","award":["RGP0058\/2016"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RGP0058\/2016"]}]},{"name":"Max Planck Research Group"},{"name":"IMPRS for language sciences"},{"name":"UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship","award":["MR\/T021985\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MR\/T021985\/1"]}]},{"name":"Human Frontiers Science Program","award":["RGP0058\/2016"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RGP0058\/2016"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["royalsocietypublishing.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,25]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Comparative animal studies of complex behavioural traits, and their neurobiological underpinnings, can increase our understanding of their evolution, including in humans. Vocal learning, a potential precursor to human speech, is one such trait. Mammalian vocal learning is under-studied: most research has either focused on vocal learning in songbirds or its absence in non-human primates. Here, we focus on a highly promising model species for the neurobiology of vocal learning: grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). We provide a neuroanatomical atlas (based on dissected brain slices and magnetic resonance images), a labelled MRI template, a three-dimensional model with volumetric measurements of brain regions, and histological cortical stainings. Four main features of the grey seal brain stand out: (i) it is relatively big and highly convoluted; (ii) it hosts a relatively large temporal lobe and cerebellum; (iii) the cortex is similar to that of humans in thickness and shows the expected six-layered mammalian structure; (iv) there is expression of FoxP2 present in deeper layers of the cortex; FoxP2 is a gene involved in motor learning, vocal learning, and spoken language. Our results could facilitate future studies targeting the neural and genetic underpinnings of mammalian vocal learning, thus bridging the research gap from songbirds to humans and non-human primates. Our findings are relevant not only to vocal learning research but also to the study of mammalian neurobiology and cognition more in general.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>This article is part of the theme issue \u2018Vocal learning in animals and humans\u2019.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2020.0252","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,6]],"date-time":"2021-09-06T12:42:51Z","timestamp":1630932171000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1098\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Neuroanatomy of the grey seal brain: bringing pinnipeds into the neurobiological study of vocal learning"],"prefix":"10.1098","volume":"376","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3454-1177","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nienke","family":"Hoeksema","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group 1 , ,"},{"name":"Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics 1 , ,"},{"name":"Nijmegen, The Netherlands 1 , ,"},{"name":"Neurobiology of Language Department 2 , ,"},{"name":"Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics 2 , ,"},{"name":"Nijmegen, The Netherlands 2 , ,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8957-5027","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Laura","family":"Verga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Comparative Bioacoustics Group 3 , ,"},{"name":"Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics 3 , ,"},{"name":"Nijmegen, The Netherlands 3 , ,"},{"name":"Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department NP&PP 4 , ,"},{"name":"Maastricht University 4 , ,"},{"name":"Maastricht, The Netherlands 4 , ,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Janine","family":"Mengede","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group 1 , ,"},{"name":"Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics 1 , ,"},{"name":"Nijmegen, The Netherlands 1 , ,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Corn\u00e9","family":"van Roessel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group 1 , ,"},{"name":"Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics 1 , ,"},{"name":"Nijmegen, The Netherlands 1 , ,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stella","family":"Villanueva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Department, Sealcentre Pieterburen 5 ,"},{"name":"Pieterburen, The Netherlands 5 ,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Salazar-Casals","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Department, Sealcentre Pieterburen 5 ,"},{"name":"Pieterburen, The Netherlands 5 ,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ana","family":"Rubio-Garcia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Department, Sealcentre Pieterburen 5 ,"},{"name":"Pieterburen, The Netherlands 5 ,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Branislava","family":"\u0106ur\u010di\u0107-Blake","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cognitive Neuroscience Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen 6 ,"},{"name":"Groningen, The Netherlands 6 ,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0305-4584","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sonja C.","family":"Vernes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group 1 , ,"},{"name":"Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics 1 , ,"},{"name":"Nijmegen, The Netherlands 1 , ,"},{"name":"Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour 7 ,"},{"name":"Nijmegen, The Netherlands 7 ,"},{"name":"School of Biology, University of St Andrews 8 ,"},{"name":"St Andrews, UK 8 ,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1058-0024","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Andrea","family":"Ravignani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Comparative Bioacoustics Group 3 , ,"},{"name":"Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics 3 , ,"},{"name":"Nijmegen, The Netherlands 3 , ,"},{"name":"Research Department, Sealcentre Pieterburen 5 ,"},{"name":"Pieterburen, The Netherlands 5 ,"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"175","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026010105312255500_RSTB20200252C1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2244","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cub.2019.05.071","article-title":"Formant modification through vocal production learning in gray seals","volume":"29","author":"Stansbury","year":"2019","journal-title":"Curr. 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