Vocalization modulates the mouse auditory cortex even in the absence of hearing

Vocal communication depends on distinguishing self-generated vocalizations from other sounds. Vocal motor corollary discharge (CD) signals are thought to support this ability by adaptively suppressing auditory cortical responses to auditory feedback. One challenge is that vocalizations, especially those produced during courtship and other social interactions, are accompanied by other movements and are emitted during a state of heightened arousal, factors that could potentially modulate auditory cortical activity. Here, we monitor auditory cortical activity, ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), and other non-vocal courtship behaviors in a head-fixed male mouse while he interacts with a female mouse. This approach reveals a vocalization-specific signature in the auditory cortex that suppresses the activity of USV playback-excited neurons, emerges before vocal onset, and scales with USV band power. Notably, this vocal modulatory signature is also present in the auditory cortex of congenitally deaf mice, revealing an adaptive vocal CD signal that manifests independently of auditory feedback or auditory experience. [Display omitted] •Vocal production suppresses the auditory cortex of both hearing and deaf mice•Vocal modulation is distinct from modulatory effects of locomotion and olfaction•Vocal modulation scales with vocal power and complexity in hearing and deaf mice•Vocal modulation bears the hallmarks of an adaptive corollary discharge mechanism Harmon et al. find that vocalization suppresses the auditory cortex, a modulatory effect distinct from modulation by locomotion or female odorants. Moreover, vocal modulation scales with vocal acoustic properties in both hearing and deaf mice, pointing to corollary discharge signals that anticipate vocal properties even in the absence of hearing.