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Vogt K, Kulkarni A, Pandey R, Dehnad M, Konopka G, Greene R. Sleep need driven oscillation of glutamate synaptic phenotype. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.05.578985. [PMID: 38370691 PMCID: PMC10871195 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.05.578985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Sleep loss increases AMPA-synaptic strength and number in the neocortex. However, this is only part of the synaptic sleep loss response. We report increased AMPA/NMDA EPSC ratio in frontal-cortical pyramidal neurons of layers 2-3. Silent synapses are absent, decreasing the plastic potential to convert silent NMDA to active AMPA synapses. These sleep loss changes are recovered by sleep. Sleep genes are enriched for synaptic shaping cellular components controlling glutamate synapse phenotype, overlap with autism risk genes and are primarily observed in excitatory pyramidal neurons projecting intra-telencephalically. These genes are enriched with genes controlled by the transcription factor, MEF2c and its repressor, HDAC4. Sleep genes can thus provide a framework within which motor learning and training occurs mediated by sleep-dependent oscillation of glutamate-synaptic phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- K.E. Vogt
- International Institute of Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - A. Kulkarni
- Department of Neuroscience, Peter O’Donnell Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - R. Pandey
- Department of Psychiatry, Peter O’Donnell Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - M. Dehnad
- Department of Psychiatry, Peter O’Donnell Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - G. Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, Peter O’Donnell Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - R.W. Greene
- International Institute of Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Neuroscience, Peter O’Donnell Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Peter O’Donnell Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
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2
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Damilou A, Cai L, Argunşah AÖ, Han S, Kanatouris G, Karatsoli M, Hanley O, Gesuita L, Kollmorgen S, Helmchen F, Karayannis T. Developmental Cajal-Retzius cell death contributes to the maturation of layer 1 cortical inhibition and somatosensory processing. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6501. [PMID: 39090081 PMCID: PMC11294614 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50658-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of developmental cell death in the formation of brain circuits is not well understood. Cajal-Retzius cells constitute a major transient neuronal population in the mammalian neocortex, which largely disappears at the time of postnatal somatosensory maturation. In this study, we used mouse genetics, anatomical, functional, and behavioral approaches to explore the impact of the early postnatal death of Cajal-Retzius cells in the maturation of the cortical circuit. We find that before their death, Cajal-Retzius cells mainly receive inputs from layer 1 neurons, which can only develop their mature connectivity onto layer 2/3 pyramidal cells after Cajal-Retzius cells disappear. This developmental connectivity progression from layer 1 GABAergic to layer 2/3 pyramidal cells regulates sensory-driven inhibition within, and more so, across cortical columns. Here we show that Cajal-Retzius cell death prevention leads to layer 2/3 hyper-excitability, delayed learning and reduced performance in a multi-whisker-dependent texture discrimination task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angeliki Damilou
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute (HiFo), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University Research Priority Program (URPP), University of Zürich, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Linbi Cai
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute (HiFo), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ali Özgür Argunşah
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute (HiFo), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Shuting Han
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - George Kanatouris
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute (HiFo), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria Karatsoli
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute (HiFo), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University Research Priority Program (URPP), University of Zürich, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Olivia Hanley
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute (HiFo), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lorenzo Gesuita
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute (HiFo), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sepp Kollmorgen
- Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University Research Priority Program (URPP), University of Zürich, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Fritjof Helmchen
- Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University Research Priority Program (URPP), University of Zürich, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Dynamics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Theofanis Karayannis
- Laboratory of Neural Circuit Assembly, Brain Research Institute (HiFo), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University Research Priority Program (URPP), University of Zürich, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
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3
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Zai AT, Stepien AE, Giret N, Hahnloser RHR. Goal-directed vocal planning in a songbird. eLife 2024; 12:RP90445. [PMID: 38959057 PMCID: PMC11221833 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Songbirds' vocal mastery is impressive, but to what extent is it a result of practice? Can they, based on experienced mismatch with a known target, plan the necessary changes to recover the target in a practice-free manner without intermittently singing? In adult zebra finches, we drive the pitch of a song syllable away from its stable (baseline) variant acquired from a tutor, then we withdraw reinforcement and subsequently deprive them of singing experience by muting or deafening. In this deprived state, birds do not recover their baseline song. However, they revert their songs toward the target by about 1 standard deviation of their recent practice, provided the sensory feedback during the latter signaled a pitch mismatch with the target. Thus, targeted vocal plasticity does not require immediate sensory experience, showing that zebra finches are capable of goal-directed vocal planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja T Zai
- Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Anna E Stepien
- Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Nicolas Giret
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, UMR 9197 CNRS, Université Paris-SaclaySaclayFrance
| | - Richard HR Hahnloser
- Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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4
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Wang B, Torok Z, Duffy A, Bell DG, Wongso S, Velho TAF, Fairhall AL, Lois C. Unsupervised restoration of a complex learned behavior after large-scale neuronal perturbation. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:1176-1186. [PMID: 38684893 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01630-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Reliable execution of precise behaviors requires that brain circuits are resilient to variations in neuronal dynamics. Genetic perturbation of the majority of excitatory neurons in HVC, a brain region involved in song production, in adult songbirds with stereotypical songs triggered severe degradation of the song. The song fully recovered within 2 weeks, and substantial improvement occurred even when animals were prevented from singing during the recovery period, indicating that offline mechanisms enable recovery in an unsupervised manner. Song restoration was accompanied by increased excitatory synaptic input to neighboring, unmanipulated neurons in the same brain region. A model inspired by the behavioral and electrophysiological findings suggests that unsupervised single-cell and population-level homeostatic plasticity rules can support the functional restoration after large-scale disruption of networks that implement sequential dynamics. These observations suggest the existence of cellular and systems-level restorative mechanisms that ensure behavioral resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Zsofia Torok
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Alison Duffy
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Computational Neuroscience Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David G Bell
- Computational Neuroscience Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Shelyn Wongso
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Tarciso A F Velho
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Adrienne L Fairhall
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Computational Neuroscience Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Carlos Lois
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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5
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Zhao Z, Teoh HK, Carpenter J, Nemon F, Kardon B, Cohen I, Goldberg JH. Anterior forebrain pathway in parrots is necessary for producing learned vocalizations with individual signatures. Curr Biol 2023; 33:5415-5426.e4. [PMID: 38070505 PMCID: PMC10799565 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Parrots have enormous vocal imitation capacities and produce individually unique vocal signatures. Like songbirds, parrots have a nucleated neural song system with distinct anterior (AFP) and posterior forebrain pathways (PFP). To test if song systems of parrots and songbirds, which diverged over 50 million years ago, have a similar functional organization, we first established a neuroscience-compatible call-and-response behavioral paradigm to elicit learned contact calls in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). Using variational autoencoder-based machine learning methods, we show that contact calls within affiliated groups converge but that individuals maintain unique acoustic features, or vocal signatures, even after call convergence. Next, we transiently inactivated the outputs of AFP to test if learned vocalizations can be produced by the PFP alone. As in songbirds, AFP inactivation had an immediate effect on vocalizations, consistent with a premotor role. But in contrast to songbirds, where the isolated PFP is sufficient to produce stereotyped and acoustically normal vocalizations, isolation of the budgerigar PFP caused a degradation of call acoustic structure, stereotypy, and individual uniqueness. Thus, the contribution of AFP and the capacity of isolated PFP to produce learned vocalizations have diverged substantially between songbirds and parrots, likely driven by their distinct behavioral ecology and neural connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhilei Zhao
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Han Kheng Teoh
- Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Julie Carpenter
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Frieda Nemon
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Brian Kardon
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Itai Cohen
- Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Jesse H Goldberg
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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6
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Gonzalez-Castillo J, Fernandez IS, Lam KC, Handwerker DA, Pereira F, Bandettini PA. Manifold learning for fMRI time-varying functional connectivity. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1134012. [PMID: 37497043 PMCID: PMC10366614 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1134012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) measured with functional MRI (fMRI) evolves over time in meaningful ways at temporal scales going from years (e.g., development) to seconds [e.g., within-scan time-varying FC (tvFC)]. Yet, our ability to explore tvFC is severely constrained by its large dimensionality (several thousands). To overcome this difficulty, researchers often seek to generate low dimensional representations (e.g., 2D and 3D scatter plots) hoping those will retain important aspects of the data (e.g., relationships to behavior and disease progression). Limited prior empirical work suggests that manifold learning techniques (MLTs)-namely those seeking to infer a low dimensional non-linear surface (i.e., the manifold) where most of the data lies-are good candidates for accomplishing this task. Here we explore this possibility in detail. First, we discuss why one should expect tvFC data to lie on a low dimensional manifold. Second, we estimate what is the intrinsic dimension (ID; i.e., minimum number of latent dimensions) of tvFC data manifolds. Third, we describe the inner workings of three state-of-the-art MLTs: Laplacian Eigenmaps (LEs), T-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (T-SNE), and Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP). For each method, we empirically evaluate its ability to generate neuro-biologically meaningful representations of tvFC data, as well as their robustness against hyper-parameter selection. Our results show that tvFC data has an ID that ranges between 4 and 26, and that ID varies significantly between rest and task states. We also show how all three methods can effectively capture subject identity and task being performed: UMAP and T-SNE can capture these two levels of detail concurrently, but LE could only capture one at a time. We observed substantial variability in embedding quality across MLTs, and within-MLT as a function of hyper-parameter selection. To help alleviate this issue, we provide heuristics that can inform future studies. Finally, we also demonstrate the importance of feature normalization when combining data across subjects and the role that temporal autocorrelation plays in the application of MLTs to tvFC data. Overall, we conclude that while MLTs can be useful to generate summary views of labeled tvFC data, their application to unlabeled data such as resting-state remains challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Gonzalez-Castillo
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Isabel S. Fernandez
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ka Chun Lam
- Machine Learning Group, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Daniel A. Handwerker
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Francisco Pereira
- Machine Learning Group, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Peter A. Bandettini
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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7
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Pilgeram NR, Baran NM, Bhise A, Davis MT, Iverson ENK, Kim E, Lee S, Rodriguez-Saltos CA, Maney DL. Oxytocin receptor antagonism during early vocal learning reduces song preference and imitation in zebra finches. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6627. [PMID: 37188684 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33340-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In species with vocal learning, acquiring species-typical vocalizations relies on early social orienting. In songbirds, for example, learning song requires dynamic social interactions with a "tutor" during an early sensitive period. Here, we hypothesized that the attentional and motivational processes that support song learning recruit the oxytocin system, which is well-understood to play a role in social orienting in other species. Juvenile male zebra finches naïve to song were each tutored by two unfamiliar adult males. Before exposure to one tutor, juveniles were injected subcutaneously with oxytocin receptor antagonist (OTA; ornithine vasotocin) and before exposure to the other, saline (control). Treatment with OTA reduced behaviors associated with approach and attention during tutoring sessions. Using a novel operant paradigm to measure preference while balancing exposure to the two tutor songs, we showed that the juveniles preferred to hear the song of the control tutor. Their adult songs more closely resembled the control tutor's song, and the magnitude of this difference was predicted by early preference for control over OTA song. Overall, oxytocin antagonism during exposure to a tutor seemed to bias juveniles against that tutor and his song. Our results suggest that oxytocin receptors are important for socially-guided vocal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicole M Baran
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Aditya Bhise
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Matthew T Davis
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Erik N K Iverson
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Emily Kim
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sumin Lee
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Carlos A Rodriguez-Saltos
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Biology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Donna L Maney
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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8
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Brudner S, Pearson J, Mooney R. Generative models of birdsong learning link circadian fluctuations in song variability to changes in performance. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011051. [PMID: 37126511 PMCID: PMC10150982 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning skilled behaviors requires intensive practice over days, months, or years. Behavioral hallmarks of practice include exploratory variation and long-term improvements, both of which can be impacted by circadian processes. During weeks of vocal practice, the juvenile male zebra finch transforms highly variable and simple song into a stable and precise copy of an adult tutor's complex song. Song variability and performance in juvenile finches also exhibit circadian structure that could influence this long-term learning process. In fact, one influential study reported juvenile song regresses towards immature performance overnight, while another suggested a more complex pattern of overnight change. However, neither of these studies thoroughly examined how circadian patterns of variability may structure the production of more or less mature songs. Here we relate the circadian dynamics of song maturation to circadian patterns of song variation, leveraging a combination of data-driven approaches. In particular we analyze juvenile singing in learned feature space that supports both data-driven measures of song maturity and generative developmental models of song production. These models reveal that circadian fluctuations in variability lead to especially regressive morning variants even without overall overnight regression, and highlight the utility of data-driven generative models for untangling these contributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Brudner
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - John Pearson
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Richard Mooney
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
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Moll FW, Kranz D, Corredera Asensio A, Elmaleh M, Ackert-Smith LA, Long MA. Thalamus drives vocal onsets in the zebra finch courtship song. Nature 2023; 616:132-136. [PMID: 36949189 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05818-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
While motor cortical circuits contain information related to specific movement parameters1, long-range inputs also have a critical role in action execution2,3. Thalamic projections can shape premotor activity2-6 and have been suggested7 to mediate the selection of short, stereotyped actions comprising more complex behaviours8. However, the mechanisms by which thalamus interacts with motor cortical circuits to execute such movement sequences remain unknown. Here we find that thalamic drive engages a specific subpopulation of premotor neurons within the zebra finch song nucleus HVC (proper name) and that these inputs are critical for the progression between vocal motor elements (that is, 'syllables'). In vivo two-photon imaging of thalamic axons in HVC showed robust song-related activity, and online perturbations of thalamic function caused song to be truncated at syllable boundaries. We used thalamic stimulation to identify a sparse set of thalamically driven neurons within HVC, representing ~15% of the premotor neurons within that network. Unexpectedly, this population of putative thalamorecipient neurons is robustly active immediately preceding syllable onset, leading to the possibility that thalamic input can initiate individual song components through selectively targeting these 'starter cells'. Our findings highlight the motor thalamus as a director of cortical dynamics in the context of an ethologically relevant behavioural sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix W Moll
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Devorah Kranz
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ariadna Corredera Asensio
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Margot Elmaleh
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lyn A Ackert-Smith
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael A Long
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Otolaryngology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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10
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Gonzalez-Castillo J, Fernandez I, Lam KC, Handwerker DA, Pereira F, Bandettini PA. Manifold Learning for fMRI time-varying FC. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.14.523992. [PMID: 36789436 PMCID: PMC9928030 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.14.523992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Whole-brain functional connectivity ( FC ) measured with functional MRI (fMRI) evolve over time in meaningful ways at temporal scales going from years (e.g., development) to seconds (e.g., within-scan time-varying FC ( tvFC )). Yet, our ability to explore tvFC is severely constrained by its large dimensionality (several thousands). To overcome this difficulty, researchers seek to generate low dimensional representations (e.g., 2D and 3D scatter plots) expected to retain its most informative aspects (e.g., relationships to behavior, disease progression). Limited prior empirical work suggests that manifold learning techniques ( MLTs )-namely those seeking to infer a low dimensional non-linear surface (i.e., the manifold) where most of the data lies-are good candidates for accomplishing this task. Here we explore this possibility in detail. First, we discuss why one should expect tv FC data to lie on a low dimensional manifold. Second, we estimate what is the intrinsic dimension (i.e., minimum number of latent dimensions; ID ) of tvFC data manifolds. Third, we describe the inner workings of three state-of-the-art MLTs : Laplacian Eigenmaps ( LE ), T-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding ( T-SNE ), and Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection ( UMAP ). For each method, we empirically evaluate its ability to generate neuro-biologically meaningful representations of tvFC data, as well as their robustness against hyper-parameter selection. Our results show that tvFC data has an ID that ranges between 4 and 26, and that ID varies significantly between rest and task states. We also show how all three methods can effectively capture subject identity and task being performed: UMAP and T-SNE can capture these two levels of detail concurrently, but L E could only capture one at a time. We observed substantial variability in embedding quality across MLTs , and within- MLT as a function of hyper-parameter selection. To help alleviate this issue, we provide heuristics that can inform future studies. Finally, we also demonstrate the importance of feature normalization when combining data across subjects and the role that temporal autocorrelation plays in the application of MLTs to tvFC data. Overall, we conclude that while MLTs can be useful to generate summary views of labeled tvFC data, their application to unlabeled data such as resting-state remains challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Isabel Fernandez
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Ka Chun Lam
- Machine Learning Group, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Daniel A Handwerker
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Francisco Pereira
- Machine Learning Group, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Peter A Bandettini
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
- Machine Learning Group, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
- FMRI Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD
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11
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Lorenz C, Hao X, Tomka T, Rüttimann L, Hahnloser RH. Interactive extraction of diverse vocal units from a planar embedding without the need for prior sound segmentation. FRONTIERS IN BIOINFORMATICS 2023; 2:966066. [PMID: 36710910 PMCID: PMC9880044 DOI: 10.3389/fbinf.2022.966066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Annotating and proofreading data sets of complex natural behaviors such as vocalizations are tedious tasks because instances of a given behavior need to be correctly segmented from background noise and must be classified with minimal false positive error rate. Low-dimensional embeddings have proven very useful for this task because they can provide a visual overview of a data set in which distinct behaviors appear in different clusters. However, low-dimensional embeddings introduce errors because they fail to preserve distances; and embeddings represent only objects of fixed dimensionality, which conflicts with vocalizations that have variable dimensions stemming from their variable durations. To mitigate these issues, we introduce a semi-supervised, analytical method for simultaneous segmentation and clustering of vocalizations. We define a given vocalization type by specifying pairs of high-density regions in the embedding plane of sound spectrograms, one region associated with vocalization onsets and the other with offsets. We demonstrate our two-neighborhood (2N) extraction method on the task of clustering adult zebra finch vocalizations embedded with UMAP. We show that 2N extraction allows the identification of short and long vocal renditions from continuous data streams without initially committing to a particular segmentation of the data. Also, 2N extraction achieves much lower false positive error rate than comparable approaches based on a single defining region. Along with our method, we present a graphical user interface (GUI) for visualizing and annotating data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinna Lorenz
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Saclay, France
| | - Xinyu Hao
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Tianjin University, School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Tianjin, China
| | - Tomas Tomka
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Linus Rüttimann
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Richard H.R. Hahnloser
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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12
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Rodríguez-Saltos CA, Bhise A, Karur P, Khan RN, Lee S, Ramsay G, Maney DL. Song preferences predict the quality of vocal learning in zebra finches. Sci Rep 2023; 13:605. [PMID: 36635470 PMCID: PMC9837092 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27708-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In songbirds, learning to sing is a highly social process that likely involves social reward. Here, we tested the hypothesis that during song learning, the reward value of hearing a particular song predicts the degree to which that song will ultimately be learned. We measured the early song preferences of young male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) in an operant key-pressing assay; each of two keys was associated with a higher likelihood of playing the song of the father or that of another familiar adult ("neighbor"). To minimize the effects of exposure on learning, we implemented a novel reinforcement schedule that allowed us to detect preferences while balancing exposure to each song. On average, the juveniles significantly preferred the father's song early during song learning, before actual singing occurs in this species. When they reached adulthood, all the birds copied the father's song. The accuracy with which the father's song was imitated was positively correlated with the peak strength of the preference for the father's song during the sensitive period of song learning. Our results show that preference for the song of a chosen tutor, in this case the father, predicted vocal learning during development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aditya Bhise
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Prasanna Karur
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Ramsha Nabihah Khan
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Sumin Lee
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Gordon Ramsay
- Marcus Autism Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Donna L Maney
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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13
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Cohen Y, Engel TA, Langdon C, Lindsay GW, Ott T, Peters MAK, Shine JM, Breton-Provencher V, Ramaswamy S. Recent Advances at the Interface of Neuroscience and Artificial Neural Networks. J Neurosci 2022; 42:8514-8523. [PMID: 36351830 PMCID: PMC9665920 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1503-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological neural networks adapt and learn in diverse behavioral contexts. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have exploited biological properties to solve complex problems. However, despite their effectiveness for specific tasks, ANNs are yet to realize the flexibility and adaptability of biological cognition. This review highlights recent advances in computational and experimental research to advance our understanding of biological and artificial intelligence. In particular, we discuss critical mechanisms from the cellular, systems, and cognitive neuroscience fields that have contributed to refining the architecture and training algorithms of ANNs. Additionally, we discuss how recent work used ANNs to understand complex neuronal correlates of cognition and to process high throughput behavioral data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yarden Cohen
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Tatiana A Engel
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY 11724
| | | | - Grace W Lindsay
- Department of Psychology, Center for Data Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003
| | - Torben Ott
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Megan A K Peters
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
| | - James M Shine
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | | | - Srikanth Ramaswamy
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
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14
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Larsen LB, Adam I, Berman GJ, Hallam J, Elemans CPH. Driving singing behaviour in songbirds using a multi-modal, multi-agent virtual environment. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13414. [PMID: 35927295 PMCID: PMC9352672 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16456-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactive biorobotics provides unique experimental potential to study the mechanisms underlying social communication but is limited by our ability to build expressive robots that exhibit the complex behaviours of birds and small mammals. An alternative to physical robots is to use virtual environments. Here, we designed and built a modular, audio-visual 2D virtual environment that allows multi-modal, multi-agent interaction to study mechanisms underlying social communication. The strength of the system is an implementation based on event processing that allows for complex computation. We tested this system in songbirds, which provide an exceptionally powerful and tractable model system to study social communication. We show that pair-bonded zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) communicating through the virtual environment exhibit normal call timing behaviour, males sing female directed song and both males and females display high-intensity courtship behaviours to their mates. These results suggest that the environment provided is sufficiently natural to elicit these behavioral responses. Furthermore, as an example of complex behavioral annotation, we developed a fully unsupervised song motif detector and used it to manipulate the virtual social environment of male zebra finches based on the number of motifs sung. Our virtual environment represents a first step in real-time automatic behaviour annotation and animal–computer interaction using higher level behaviours such as song. Our unsupervised acoustic analysis eliminates the need for annotated training data thus reducing labour investment and experimenter bias.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Iris Adam
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | | | - John Hallam
- University of Southern Denmark, SDU-Biorobotics, Odense, Denmark
| | - Coen P H Elemans
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
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15
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Thomas M, Jensen FH, Averly B, Demartsev V, Manser MB, Sainburg T, Roch MA, Strandburg-Peshkin A. A practical guide for generating unsupervised, spectrogram-based latent space representations of animal vocalizations. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1567-1581. [PMID: 35657634 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The manual detection, analysis and classification of animal vocalizations in acoustic recordings is laborious and requires expert knowledge. Hence, there is a need for objective, generalizable methods that detect underlying patterns in these data, categorize sounds into distinct groups and quantify similarities between them. Among all computational methods that have been proposed to accomplish this, neighbourhood-based dimensionality reduction of spectrograms to produce a latent space representation of calls stands out for its conceptual simplicity and effectiveness. Goal of the study/what was done: Using a dataset of manually annotated meerkat Suricata suricatta vocalizations, we demonstrate how this method can be used to obtain meaningful latent space representations that reflect the established taxonomy of call types. We analyse strengths and weaknesses of the proposed approach, give recommendations for its usage and show application examples, such as the classification of ambiguous calls and the detection of mislabelled calls. What this means: All analyses are accompanied by example code to help researchers realize the potential of this method for the study of animal vocalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Thomas
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Frants H Jensen
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Baptiste Averly
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Vlad Demartsev
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Marta B Manser
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tim Sainburg
- Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Marie A Roch
- Department of Computer Science, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
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16
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Duffy A, Latimer KW, Goldberg JH, Fairhall AL, Gadagkar V. Dopamine neurons evaluate natural fluctuations in performance quality. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110574. [PMID: 35354031 PMCID: PMC9013488 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Many motor skills are learned by comparing ongoing behavior to internal performance benchmarks. Dopamine neurons encode performance error in behavioral paradigms where error is externally induced, but it remains unknown whether dopamine also signals the quality of natural performance fluctuations. Here, we record dopamine neurons in singing birds and examine how spontaneous dopamine spiking activity correlates with natural fluctuations in ongoing song. Antidromically identified basal ganglia-projecting dopamine neurons correlate with recent, and not future, song variations, consistent with a role in evaluation, not production. Furthermore, maximal dopamine spiking occurs at a single vocal target, consistent with either actively maintaining the existing song or shifting the song to a nearby form. These data show that spontaneous dopamine spiking can evaluate natural behavioral fluctuations unperturbed by experimental events such as cues or rewards. Learning and producing skilled behavior requires an internal measure of performance. Duffy et al. examine dopamine neurons’ relationship to natural song in singing birds. Spontaneous dopamine activity correlates with song fluctuations in a manner consistent with evaluation of natural behavioral variations, independent of external perturbations, cues, or rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Duffy
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Computational Neuroscience Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kenneth W Latimer
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jesse H Goldberg
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Adrienne L Fairhall
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Computational Neuroscience Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
| | - Vikram Gadagkar
- Department of Neuroscience, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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17
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Gorur-Shandilya S, Cronin EM, Schneider AC, Haddad SA, Rosenbaum P, Bucher D, Nadim F, Marder E. Mapping circuit dynamics during function and dysfunction. eLife 2022; 11:e76579. [PMID: 35302489 PMCID: PMC9000962 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural circuits can generate many spike patterns, but only some are functional. The study of how circuits generate and maintain functional dynamics is hindered by a poverty of description of circuit dynamics across functional and dysfunctional states. For example, although the regular oscillation of a central pattern generator is well characterized by its frequency and the phase relationships between its neurons, these metrics are ineffective descriptors of the irregular and aperiodic dynamics that circuits can generate under perturbation or in disease states. By recording the circuit dynamics of the well-studied pyloric circuit in Cancer borealis, we used statistical features of spike times from neurons in the circuit to visualize the spike patterns generated by this circuit under a variety of conditions. This approach captures both the variability of functional rhythms and the diversity of atypical dynamics in a single map. Clusters in the map identify qualitatively different spike patterns hinting at different dynamic states in the circuit. State probability and the statistics of the transitions between states varied with environmental perturbations, removal of descending neuromodulatory inputs, and the addition of exogenous neuromodulators. This analysis reveals strong mechanistically interpretable links between complex changes in the collective behavior of a neural circuit and specific experimental manipulations, and can constrain hypotheses of how circuits generate functional dynamics despite variability in circuit architecture and environmental perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elizabeth M Cronin
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers UniversityNewarkUnited States
| | - Anna C Schneider
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers UniversityNewarkUnited States
| | - Sara Ann Haddad
- Volen Center and Biology Department, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - Philipp Rosenbaum
- Volen Center and Biology Department, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - Dirk Bucher
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers UniversityNewarkUnited States
| | - Farzan Nadim
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers UniversityNewarkUnited States
| | - Eve Marder
- Volen Center and Biology Department, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
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18
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Davis MT, Grogan KE, Fraccaroli I, Libecap TJ, Pilgeram NR, Maney DL. Expression of oxytocin receptors in the zebra finch brain during vocal development. Dev Neurobiol 2022; 82:3-15. [PMID: 34562056 PMCID: PMC8795483 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Like human language, song in songbirds is learned during an early sensitive period and is facilitated by motivation to seek out social interactions with vocalizing adults. Songbirds are therefore powerful models with which to understand the neural underpinnings of vocal learning. Social motivation and early social orienting are thought to be mediated by the oxytocin system; however, the developmental trajectory of oxytocin receptors in songbirds, particularly as it relates to song learning, is currently unknown. This gap in knowledge has hindered the development of songbirds as a model of the role of social orienting in vocal learning. In this study, we used quantitative PCR to measure oxytocin receptor expression during the sensitive period of song learning in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We focused on brain regions important for social motivation, attachment, song recognition, and song learning. We detected expression in these regions in both sexes from posthatch day 5 to adulthood, encompassing the entire period of song learning. In this species, only males sing; we found that in regions implicated in song learning specifically, oxytocin receptor mRNA expression was higher in males than females. These sex differences were largest during the developmental phase when males attend to and memorize tutor song, suggesting a functional role of expression in learning. Our results show that oxytocin receptors are expressed in relevant brain regions during song learning, and thus provide a foundation for developing the zebra finch as a model for understanding the mechanisms underlying the role of social motivation in vocal development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Donna L. Maney
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
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19
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Sainburg T, Gentner TQ. Toward a Computational Neuroethology of Vocal Communication: From Bioacoustics to Neurophysiology, Emerging Tools and Future Directions. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:811737. [PMID: 34987365 PMCID: PMC8721140 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.811737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently developed methods in computational neuroethology have enabled increasingly detailed and comprehensive quantification of animal movements and behavioral kinematics. Vocal communication behavior is well poised for application of similar large-scale quantification methods in the service of physiological and ethological studies. This review describes emerging techniques that can be applied to acoustic and vocal communication signals with the goal of enabling study beyond a small number of model species. We review a range of modern computational methods for bioacoustics, signal processing, and brain-behavior mapping. Along with a discussion of recent advances and techniques, we include challenges and broader goals in establishing a framework for the computational neuroethology of vocal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Sainburg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Center for Academic Research & Training in Anthropogeny, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Timothy Q. Gentner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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20
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Steinfath E, Palacios-Muñoz A, Rottschäfer JR, Yuezak D, Clemens J. Fast and accurate annotation of acoustic signals with deep neural networks. eLife 2021; 10:e68837. [PMID: 34723794 PMCID: PMC8560090 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signals serve communication within and across species throughout the animal kingdom. Studying the genetics, evolution, and neurobiology of acoustic communication requires annotating acoustic signals: segmenting and identifying individual acoustic elements like syllables or sound pulses. To be useful, annotations need to be accurate, robust to noise, and fast. We here introduce DeepAudioSegmenter (DAS), a method that annotates acoustic signals across species based on a deep-learning derived hierarchical presentation of sound. We demonstrate the accuracy, robustness, and speed of DAS using acoustic signals with diverse characteristics from insects, birds, and mammals. DAS comes with a graphical user interface for annotating song, training the network, and for generating and proofreading annotations. The method can be trained to annotate signals from new species with little manual annotation and can be combined with unsupervised methods to discover novel signal types. DAS annotates song with high throughput and low latency for experimental interventions in realtime. Overall, DAS is a universal, versatile, and accessible tool for annotating acoustic communication signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Steinfath
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Adrian Palacios-Muñoz
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Julian R Rottschäfer
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Deniz Yuezak
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- International Max Planck Research School and Göttingen Graduate School for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (GGNB) at the University of GöttingenGöttingenGermany
| | - Jan Clemens
- European Neuroscience Institute - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck-SocietyGöttingenGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational NeuroscienceGöttingenGermany
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21
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Sobinov AR, Bensmaia SJ. The neural mechanisms of manual dexterity. Nat Rev Neurosci 2021; 22:741-757. [PMID: 34711956 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-021-00528-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The hand endows us with unparalleled precision and versatility in our interactions with objects, from mundane activities such as grasping to extraordinary ones such as virtuoso pianism. The complex anatomy of the human hand combined with expansive and specialized neuronal control circuits allows a wide range of precise manual behaviours. To support these behaviours, an exquisite sensory apparatus, spanning the modalities of touch and proprioception, conveys detailed and timely information about our interactions with objects and about the objects themselves. The study of manual dexterity provides a unique lens into the sensorimotor mechanisms that endow the nervous system with the ability to flexibly generate complex behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton R Sobinov
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sliman J Bensmaia
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. .,Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. .,Committee on Computational Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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22
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Goffinet J, Brudner S, Mooney R, Pearson J. Low-dimensional learned feature spaces quantify individual and group differences in vocal repertoires. eLife 2021; 10:e67855. [PMID: 33988503 PMCID: PMC8213406 DOI: 10.7554/elife.67855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Increases in the scale and complexity of behavioral data pose an increasing challenge for data analysis. A common strategy involves replacing entire behaviors with small numbers of handpicked, domain-specific features, but this approach suffers from several crucial limitations. For example, handpicked features may miss important dimensions of variability, and correlations among them complicate statistical testing. Here, by contrast, we apply the variational autoencoder (VAE), an unsupervised learning method, to learn features directly from data and quantify the vocal behavior of two model species: the laboratory mouse and the zebra finch. The VAE converges on a parsimonious representation that outperforms handpicked features on a variety of common analysis tasks, enables the measurement of moment-by-moment vocal variability on the timescale of tens of milliseconds in the zebra finch, provides strong evidence that mouse ultrasonic vocalizations do not cluster as is commonly believed, and captures the similarity of tutor and pupil birdsong with qualitatively higher fidelity than previous approaches. In all, we demonstrate the utility of modern unsupervised learning approaches to the quantification of complex and high-dimensional vocal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Goffinet
- Department of Computer Science, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Center for Cognitive Neurobiology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Samuel Brudner
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Richard Mooney
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - John Pearson
- Center for Cognitive Neurobiology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
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23
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Paul A, McLendon H, Rally V, Sakata JT, Woolley SC. Behavioral discrimination and time-series phenotyping of birdsong performance. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008820. [PMID: 33830995 PMCID: PMC8049717 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in the acoustic structure of vocal signals is important to communicate social information. However, relatively little is known about the features that receivers extract to decipher relevant social information. Here, we took an expansive, bottom-up approach to delineate the feature space that could be important for processing social information in zebra finch song. Using operant techniques, we discovered that female zebra finches can consistently discriminate brief song phrases ("motifs") from different social contexts. We then applied machine learning algorithms to classify motifs based on thousands of time-series features and to uncover acoustic features for motif discrimination. In addition to highlighting classic acoustic features, the resulting algorithm revealed novel features for song discrimination, for example, measures of time irreversibility (i.e., the degree to which the statistical properties of the actual and time-reversed signal differ). Moreover, the algorithm accurately predicted female performance on individual motif exemplars. These data underscore and expand the promise of broad time-series phenotyping to acoustic analyses and social decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avishek Paul
- Dept. Electrical & Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Dept. Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Helen McLendon
- Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | | | - Jon T. Sakata
- Dept. Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- * E-mail: (JTS); (SCW)
| | - Sarah C. Woolley
- Dept. Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- * E-mail: (JTS); (SCW)
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24
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Syringeal vocal folds do not have a voice in zebra finch vocal development. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6469. [PMID: 33742101 PMCID: PMC7979720 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85929-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Vocal behavior can be dramatically changed by both neural circuit development and postnatal maturation of the body. During song learning in songbirds, both the song system and syringeal muscles are functionally changing, but it is unknown if maturation of sound generators within the syrinx contributes to vocal development. Here we densely sample the respiratory pressure control space of the zebra finch syrinx in vitro. We show that the syrinx produces sound very efficiently and that key acoustic parameters, minimal fundamental frequency, entropy and source level, do not change over development in both sexes. Thus, our data suggest that the observed acoustic changes in vocal development must be attributed to changes in the motor control pathway, from song system circuitry to muscle force, and not by material property changes in the avian analog of the vocal folds. We propose that in songbirds, muscle use and training driven by the sexually dimorphic song system are the crucial drivers that lead to sexual dimorphism of the syringeal skeleton and musculature. The size and properties of the instrument are thus not changing, while its player is.
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25
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Maes A, Barahona M, Clopath C. Learning compositional sequences with multiple time scales through a hierarchical network of spiking neurons. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008866. [PMID: 33764970 PMCID: PMC8023498 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sequential behaviour is often compositional and organised across multiple time scales: a set of individual elements developing on short time scales (motifs) are combined to form longer functional sequences (syntax). Such organisation leads to a natural hierarchy that can be used advantageously for learning, since the motifs and the syntax can be acquired independently. Despite mounting experimental evidence for hierarchical structures in neuroscience, models for temporal learning based on neuronal networks have mostly focused on serial methods. Here, we introduce a network model of spiking neurons with a hierarchical organisation aimed at sequence learning on multiple time scales. Using biophysically motivated neuron dynamics and local plasticity rules, the model can learn motifs and syntax independently. Furthermore, the model can relearn sequences efficiently and store multiple sequences. Compared to serial learning, the hierarchical model displays faster learning, more flexible relearning, increased capacity, and higher robustness to perturbations. The hierarchical model redistributes the variability: it achieves high motif fidelity at the cost of higher variability in the between-motif timings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amadeus Maes
- Bioengineering Department, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mauricio Barahona
- Mathematics Department, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claudia Clopath
- Bioengineering Department, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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26
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Nienborg H, Meyer EE. Neuroscience needs behavior: inferring psychophysical strategy trial by trial. Neuron 2021; 109:561-563. [PMID: 33600750 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Tools quantifying dynamic behavior are important to understand brain function. In this issue of Neuron, Roy et al. (2021) extended the available repertoire with PsyTrack, which tracks, trial by trial, how subjects performing psychophysical tasks adjust the way they weigh stimuli and task covariates or change their biases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrikje Nienborg
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Emily E Meyer
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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27
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Adam I, Elemans CPH. Increasing Muscle Speed Drives Changes in the Neuromuscular Transform of Motor Commands during Postnatal Development in Songbirds. J Neurosci 2020; 40:6722-6731. [PMID: 32487696 PMCID: PMC7455216 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0111-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Progressive changes in vocal behavior over the course of vocal imitation leaning are often attributed exclusively to developing neural circuits, but the effects of postnatal body changes remain unknown. In songbirds, the syrinx transforms song system motor commands into sound and exhibits changes during song learning. Here we test the hypothesis that the transformation from motor commands to force trajectories by syringeal muscles functionally changes over vocal development in zebra finches. Our data collected in both sexes show that, only in males, muscle speed significantly increases and that supralinear summation occurs and increases with muscle contraction speed. Furthermore, we show that previously reported submillisecond spike timing in the avian cortex can be resolved by superfast syringeal muscles and that the sensitivity to spike timing increases with speed. Because motor neuron and muscle properties are tightly linked, we make predictions on the boundaries of the yet unknown motor code that correspond well with cortical activity. Together, we show that syringeal muscles undergo essential transformations during song learning that drastically change how neural commands are translated into force profiles and thereby acoustic features. We propose that the song system motor code must compensate for these changes to achieve its acoustic targets. Our data thus support the hypothesis that the neuromuscular transformation changes over vocal development and emphasizes the need for an embodied view of song motor learning.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Fine motor skill learning typically occurs in a postnatal period when the brain is learning to control a body that is changing dramatically due to growth and development. How the developing body influences motor code formation and vice versa remains largely unknown. Here we show that vocal muscles in songbirds undergo critical transformations during song learning that drastically change how neural commands are translated into force profiles and thereby acoustic features. We propose that the motor code must compensate for these changes to achieve its acoustic targets. Our data thus support the hypothesis that the neuromuscular transformation changes over vocal development and emphasizes the need for an embodied view of song motor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Adam
- University of Southern Denmark, Department of Biology, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Coen P H Elemans
- University of Southern Denmark, Department of Biology, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
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