The contribution of ultrasonic vocalizations to mouse courtship

• Mouse ultrasonic vocalizations carry male behavioral state and fitness information.
• Males produce most courtship vocalizations, but females may also participate.
• Female mice prefer unfamiliar male vocalizations and this preference is learned.
• The spectrotemporal structure of courtship vocalizations is not learned.
• Olfactory circuits trigger and modify male vocal behavior during courtship.

Vocalizations transmit information to social partners, and mice use these signals to exchange information during courtship. Ultrasonic vocalizations from adult males are tightly associated with their interactions with females, and vary as a function of male quality. Work in the last decade has established that the spectrotemporal features of male vocalizations are not learned, but that female attention toward specific vocal features is modified by social experience. Additionally, progress has been made on elucidating how mouse vocalizations are encoded in the auditory system, and on the olfactory circuits that trigger their production. Together these findings provide us with important insights into how vocal communication can contribute to social interactions.