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Herbert CT, Boari S, Mindlin GB, Amador A. Dynamical model for the neural activity of singing Serinus canaria. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2020; 30:053134. [PMID: 32491906 DOI: 10.1063/1.5145093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Vocal production in songbirds is a key topic regarding the motor control of a complex, learned behavior. Birdsong is the result of the interaction between the activity of an intricate set of neural nuclei specifically dedicated to song production and learning (known as the "song system"), the respiratory system and the vocal organ. These systems interact and give rise to precise biomechanical motor gestures which result in song production. Telencephalic neural nuclei play a key role in the production of motor commands that drive the periphery, and while several attempts have been made to understand their coding strategy, difficulties arise when trying to understand neural activity in the frame of the song system as a whole. In this work, we report neural additive models embedded in an architecture compatible with the song system to provide a tool to reduce the dimensionality of the problem by considering the global activity of the units in each neural nucleus. This model is capable of generating outputs compatible with measurements of air sac pressure during song production in canaries (Serinus canaria). In this work, we show that the activity in a telencephalic nucleus required by the model to reproduce the observed respiratory gestures is compatible with electrophysiological recordings of single neuron activity in freely behaving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia T Herbert
- Department of Physics, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 (C1428EGA), Pabellon 1, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Santiago Boari
- Department of Physics, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 (C1428EGA), Pabellon 1, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel B Mindlin
- Department of Physics, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 (C1428EGA), Pabellon 1, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ana Amador
- Department of Physics, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 (C1428EGA), Pabellon 1, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Zhang YS, Takahashi DY, Liao DA, Ghazanfar AA, Elemans CPH. Vocal state change through laryngeal development. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4592. [PMID: 31597928 PMCID: PMC6785551 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12588-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Across vertebrates, progressive changes in vocal behavior during postnatal development are typically attributed solely to developing neural circuits. How the changing body influences vocal development remains unknown. Here we show that state changes in the contact vocalizations of infant marmoset monkeys, which transition from noisy, low frequency cries to tonal, higher pitched vocalizations in adults, are caused partially by laryngeal development. Combining analyses of natural vocalizations, motorized excised larynx experiments, tensile material tests and high-speed imaging, we show that vocal state transition occurs via a sound source switch from vocal folds to apical vocal membranes, producing louder vocalizations with higher efficiency. We show with an empirically based model of descending motor control how neural circuits could interact with changing laryngeal dynamics, leading to adaptive vocal development. Our results emphasize the importance of embodied approaches to vocal development, where exploiting biomechanical consequences of changing material properties can simplify motor control, reducing the computational load on the developing brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yisi S Zhang
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Daniel Y Takahashi
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Diana A Liao
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Asif A Ghazanfar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
| | - Coen P H Elemans
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230, Odense M, Denmark.
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Düring DN, Knörlein BJ, Elemans CPH. In situ vocal fold properties and pitch prediction by dynamic actuation of the songbird syrinx. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11296. [PMID: 28900151 PMCID: PMC5595934 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11258-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The biomechanics of sound production forms an integral part of the neuromechanical control loop of avian vocal motor control. However, we critically lack quantification of basic biomechanical parameters describing the vocal organ, the syrinx, such as material properties of syringeal elements, forces and torques exerted on, and motion of the syringeal skeleton during song. Here, we present a novel marker-based 3D stereoscopic imaging technique to reconstruct 3D motion of servo-controlled actuation of syringeal muscle insertions sites in vitro and focus on two muscles controlling sound pitch. We furthermore combine kinematic analysis with force measurements to quantify elastic properties of sound producing medial labia (ML). The elastic modulus of the zebra finch ML is 18 kPa at 5% strain, which is comparable to elastic moduli of mammalian vocal folds. Additionally ML lengthening due to musculus syringealis ventralis (VS) shortening is intrinsically constraint at maximally 12% strain. Using these values we predict sound pitch to range from 350–800 Hz by VS modulation, corresponding well to previous observations. The presented methodology allows for quantification of syringeal skeleton motion and forces, acoustic effects of muscle recruitment, and calibration of computational birdsong models, enabling experimental access to the entire neuromechanical control loop of vocal motor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel N Düring
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin J Knörlein
- Center for Computation and Visualization, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Coen P H Elemans
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
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Mindlin GB. Nonlinear dynamics in the study of birdsong. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2017; 27:092101. [PMID: 28964148 PMCID: PMC5605333 DOI: 10.1063/1.4986932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Birdsong, a rich and complex behavior, is a stellar model to understand a variety of biological problems, from motor control to learning. It also enables us to study how behavior emerges when a nervous system, a biomechanical device and the environment interact. In this review, I will show that many questions in the field can benefit from the approach of nonlinear dynamics, and how birdsong can inspire new directions for research in dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel B Mindlin
- Departamento de Física, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires IFIBA, CONICET, Argentina
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Amador A, Boari S, Mindlin GB. From perception to action in songbird production: dynamics of a whole loop. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 3:30-35. [PMID: 28695216 DOI: 10.1016/j.coisb.2017.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Birdsong emerges when a set of highly interconnected brain areas manage to generate a complex output. This consists of precise respiratory rhythms as well as motor instructions to control the vocal organ configuration. In this way, during birdsong production, dedicated cortical areas interact with life-supporting ones in the brainstem, such as the respiratory nuclei. We discuss an integrative view of this interaction together with a widely accepted "top-down" representation of the song system. We also show that a description of this neural network in terms of dynamical systems allows to explore songbird production and processing by generating testable predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Amador
- Physics Department, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBA Conicet Int. Guiraldes 2160, Pab.1, Ciudad Universitaria, (1428) Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Santiago Boari
- Physics Department, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBA Conicet Int. Guiraldes 2160, Pab.1, Ciudad Universitaria, (1428) Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel B Mindlin
- Physics Department, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBA Conicet Int. Guiraldes 2160, Pab.1, Ciudad Universitaria, (1428) Buenos Aires, Argentina
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