In order to specify the role of the periaqueductal grey (PAG) in vocal production, we tested the effect of PAG inactivation on the electrical elicitability of vocalization from various brain structures in the squirrel monkey. For this purpose, we implanted stimulation electrodes at 64 vocalization-eliciting sites throughout the brain and compared the elicitability of vocalization before and after muscimol injection into the PAG. It turned out that only vocalization sites in the forebrain (cingulate cortex, hypothalamus) and rostralmost mesencephalic reticular formation could be blocked by PAG inactivation, whereas all vocalization sites in the caudal midbrain, pons and medulla remained unaffected. It is concluded that the PAG is not the site of vocal pattern generation, but rather serves gating functions.
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