Although behavior is the most salient product of brain function, the precise process by which animals’ behavior is generated by the central nervous system remains elusive.  Our goal is to unveil the neural logic underlying the generation of behavior, using the vocalizations of African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) as a model.  The Xenopus vocal system is an ideal model to understand neural mechanisms of behavior.  Remarkably, when the brain is isolated, it still produces fictive vocalizations - orchestrated neural activities that would lead to calling if the brain were connected to the muscles.   This fictive preparation allows us to study neural activity while the brain is engaged in calling behavior.  Leveraging electrophysiological, histological, and optogenetic approaches, we strive to understand how neurons act together to generate sex- and species-specific calls.