Learn bat language

According to US scientists, understanding the mechanism that bats use to communicate with each other by sound can help find new therapies to treat language disorders in humans.

Every night in the Central Texas region (USA), thousands of bats have just fluttered with melodies including complex syllables - but at too high a frequency, people cannot hear.

Neuroscience Dr. Michael Smotherman University of Texas A&M is trying to understand how Mexican Freetail bats use to combine syllables into nightly ' sings ' and the relationship between that and the way it works. Dynamic brain.

Smotherman said: 'If we can identify areas of the bat brain responsible for communication, we will better understand the mechanism that the brain uses to generate and coordinate complex sound sequences. trash. And by understanding that mechanism, we can shed light on the hypothesis of the nature of language disorder. Use up to 20 syllables to 'say'.

The team is studying two aspects of communication of bats - the mammals are considered to be the most ' spoken ', only after humans. In behavioral studies, they looked at gender differences and seasonal changes in communication, and in physiological studies, they are trying to find out areas in the brain. Bats operate during their communication.

Scientists are learning how Mexican Freetail bats use to combine syllables into 'songs' and their interrelationship and ability to use ' language '. (Photo: Science Daily)

Mexican Freetail bats mainly make a sound at frequencies that exceed the highest limit that human ears can hear. Occasionally, people hear a little ' singing ' of bats - of course, the syllables at just enough frequency.

Bats have the ability to emit sound waves and rely on the reverberation of sound waves to orient and recognize the position and distance of objects around them. The higher the frequency of the bat's ultrasound, the more they can detect the surrounding environment.

Dr Smotherman said Mexican Freetail bats use between 15 and 20 syllables to make cries . Each male bat has its own " music " to flirt with the bat. In fact, all those ' confession ' words are similar, but every bat guy uses a different syllable to make a difference.

Bats also use ' verbal ' communication to identify each other, define territorial boundaries, establish rules of behavior for the herd, ward off invaders and teach children. Mr. Smotherman commented: 'Apart from humans, no other mammal has the ability to use complex sound sequences to communicate like bats'.

Hope to find therapy for language disorders

The sound of bats is similar to the song of birds. Scientists have known the link between bird songs and their brains, but according to Smotherman, 'the structure of the bird's brain is very different from the mammalian brain model, so it is difficult to apply these. understanding of bird communication for human language activities'.

Basically, the brains of all mammals are organized in the same way, so the bat brain has many similarities to the human brain. Therefore, from studying the ability to use the sound of bats, we can deduce things related to human language.

Smotherman said: 'The bat brain must have a' speaking 'center capable of organizing vocal patterns and patterns, but the problem is where the center is located. We are using molecular techniques to determine which areas of the brain are most active while bats are using sound. '

The team monitored the behavior of 75 bats in the laboratory. They are taken from schools and churches, not bats in wild life. Therefore, according to Mr. Smotherman, 'these bats are not aggressive, but on the contrary are friendly and suitable for research'.

Dr. Smotherman hopes that in the near future, his team will apply this research result to understanding more human language activities, shedding light on the secrets of language disorders and finding therapies. to treat.

According to him, 'arguing that language is the only thing that exists in humans has inhibited research in this area. By comparing it with other areas of neuroscience, we are exploring the most fundamental issues of language control mechanism. '

Minh Quang