1
|
Rautio IV, Holmberg EH, Kurup D, Dunn BA, Whitlock JR. A novel paradigm for observational learning in rats. Cogn Neurodyn 2024; 18:757-767. [PMID: 38699625 PMCID: PMC11061086 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-023-10022-8] [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: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The ability to learn by observing the behavior of others is energy efficient and brings high survival value, making it an important learning tool that has been documented in a myriad of species in the animal kingdom. In the laboratory, rodents have proven useful models for studying different forms of observational learning, however, the most robust learning paradigms typically rely on aversive stimuli, like foot shocks, to drive the social acquisition of fear. Non-fear-based tasks have also been used but they rarely succeed in having observer animals perform a new behavior de novo. Consequently, little known regarding the cellular mechanisms supporting non-aversive types of learning, such as visuomotor skill acquisition. To address this we developed a reward-based observational learning paradigm in adult rats, in which observer animals learn to tap lit spheres in a specific sequence by watching skilled demonstrators, with successful trials leading to rewarding intracranial stimulation in both observers and performers. Following three days of observation and a 24-hour delay, observer animals outperformed control animals on several metrics of task performance and efficiency, with a subset of observers demonstrating correct performance immediately when tested. This paradigm thus introduces a novel tool to investigate the neural circuits supporting observational learning and memory for visuomotor behavior, a phenomenon about which little is understood, particularly in rodents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ida V. Rautio
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Olav Kyrresg gate 9, Trondheim, 7089 Norway
| | - Ella Holt Holmberg
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Olav Kyrresg gate 9, Trondheim, 7089 Norway
| | - Devika Kurup
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Olav Kyrresg gate 9, Trondheim, 7089 Norway
| | - Benjamin A. Dunn
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Olav Kyrresg gate 9, Trondheim, 7089 Norway
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Alfred Getz vei 1, Trondheim, 7491 Norway
| | - Jonathan R. Whitlock
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Olav Kyrresg gate 9, Trondheim, 7089 Norway
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Iriki A, Tramacere A. “Natural Laboratory Complex” for novel primate neuroscience. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:927605. [PMID: 36274659 PMCID: PMC9581230 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.927605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose novel strategies for primate experimentation that are ethically valuable and pragmatically useful for cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychiatric research. Specifically, we propose Natural Laboratory Complex or Natural Labs, which are a combination of indoor-outdoor structures for studying free moving and socially housed primates in natural or naturalistic environment. We contend that Natural Labs are pivotal to improve primate welfare, and at the same time to implement longitudinal and socio-ecological studies of primate brain and behavior. Currently emerging advanced technologies and social systems (including recent COVID-19 induced “remote” infrastructures) can speed-up cognitive neuroscience approaches in freely behaving animals. Experimental approaches in natural(istic) settings are not in competition with conventional approaches of laboratory investigations, and could establish several benefits at the ethical, experimental, and economic levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Iriki
- Laboratory for Symbolic Cognitive Development, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan
- *Correspondence: Atsushi Iriki,
| | - Antonella Tramacere
- Department of Philosophy and Communication Studies, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Cultural and Linguistic Evolution, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Coleman MJ, Day NF, Fortune ES. Neural mechanisms for turn-taking in duetting plain-tailed wrens. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:970434. [PMID: 36213202 PMCID: PMC9537813 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.970434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies conducted in the natural habitats of songbirds have provided new insights into the neural mechanisms of turn-taking. For example, female and male plain-tailed wrens (Pheugopedius euophrys) sing a duet that is so precisely timed it sounds as if a single bird is singing. In this review, we discuss our studies examining the sensory and motor cues that pairs of wrens use to coordinate the rapid alternation of syllable production. Our studies included behavioral measurements of freely-behaving wrens in their natural habitat and neurophysiological experiments conducted in awake and anesthetized individuals at field sites in Ecuador. These studies show that each partner has a pattern-generating circuit in their brain that is linked via acoustic feedback between individuals. A similar control strategy has been described in another species of duetting songbird, white-browed sparrow-weavers (Plocepasser mahali). Interestingly, the combination of neurophysiological results from urethane-anesthetized and awake wrens suggest a role for inhibition in coordinating the timing of turn-taking. Finally, we highlight some of the unique challenges of conducting these experiments at remote field sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J. Coleman
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Scripps and Pitzer Colleges, Claremont, CA, United States,*Correspondence: Melissa J. Coleman
| | - Nancy F. Day
- Department of Psychology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, United States
| | - Eric S. Fortune
- Department Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Parishar P, Sehgal N, Iyengar S. The expression of delta opioid receptor mRNA in adult male zebra finches (Taenopygia guttata). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256599. [PMID: 34464410 PMCID: PMC8407588 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The endogenous opioid system is evolutionarily conserved across reptiles, birds and mammals and is known to modulate varied brain functions such as learning, memory, cognition and reward. To date, most of the behavioral and anatomical studies in songbirds have mainly focused on μ-opioid receptors (ORs). Expression patterns of δ-ORs in zebra finches, a well-studied species of songbird have not yet been reported, possibly due to the high sequence similarity amongst different opioid receptors. In the present study, a specific riboprobe against the δ-OR mRNA was used to perform fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on sections from the male zebra finch brain. We found that δ-OR mRNA was expressed in different parts of the pallium, basal ganglia, cerebellum and the hippocampus. Amongst the song control and auditory nuclei, HVC (abbreviation used as a formal name) and NIf (nucleus interfacialis nidopallii) strongly express δ-OR mRNA and stand out from the surrounding nidopallium. Whereas the expression of δ-OR mRNA is moderate in LMAN (lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium), it is low in the MSt (medial striatum), Area X, DLM (dorsolateral nucleus of the medial thalamus), RA (robust nucleus of the arcopallium) of the song control circuit and Field L, Ov (nucleus ovoidalis) and MLd (nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis, pars dorsalis) of the auditory pathway. Our results suggest that δ-ORs may be involved in modulating singing, song learning as well as spatial learning in zebra finches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Parishar
- National Brain Research Centre, Gurugram, Haryana, India
| | - Neha Sehgal
- National Brain Research Centre, Gurugram, Haryana, India
| | - Soumya Iyengar
- National Brain Research Centre, Gurugram, Haryana, India
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Hauber ME, Louder MI, Griffith SC. Neurogenomic insights into the behavioral and vocal development of the zebra finch. eLife 2021; 10:61849. [PMID: 34106827 PMCID: PMC8238503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) is a socially monogamous and colonial opportunistic breeder with pronounced sexual differences in singing and plumage coloration. Its natural history has led to it becoming a model species for research into sex differences in vocal communication, as well as behavioral, neural and genomic studies of imitative auditory learning. As scientists tap into the genetic and behavioral diversity of both wild and captive lineages, the zebra finch will continue to inform research into culture, learning, and social bonding, as well as adaptability to a changing climate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, United States
| | - Matthew Im Louder
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Simon C Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Taylor H. Evidence for Teaching in an Australian Songbird. Front Psychol 2021; 12:593532. [PMID: 33692717 PMCID: PMC7937635 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.593532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Song in oscine birds (as in human speech and song) relies upon the rare capacity of vocal learning. Transmission can be vertical, horizontal, or oblique. As a rule, memorization and production by a naïve bird are not simultaneous: the long-term storage of song phrases precedes their first vocal rehearsal by months. While a wealth of detail regarding songbird enculturation has been uncovered by focusing on the apprentice, whether observational learning can fully account for the ontogeny of birdsong, or whether there could also be an element of active teaching involved, has remained an open question. Given the paucity of knowledge on animal cultures, I argue for the utility of an inclusive definition of teaching that encourages data be collected across a wide range of taxa. Borrowing insights from musicology, I introduce the Australian pied butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis) into the debate surrounding mechanisms of cultural transmission. I probe the relevance and utility of mentalistic, culture-based, and functionalist approaches to teaching in this species. Sonographic analysis of birdsong recordings and observational data (including photographs) of pied butcherbird behavior at one field site provide evidence that I assess based on criteria laid down by Caro and Hauser, along with later refinements to their functionalist definition. The candidate case of teaching reviewed here adds to a limited but growing body of reports supporting the notion that teaching may be more widespread than is currently realized. Nonetheless, I describe the challenges of confirming that learning has occurred in songbird pupils, given the delay between vocal instruction and production, as well as the low status accorded to anecdote and other observational evidence commonly mustered in instances of purported teaching. As a corrective, I press for an emphasis on biodiversity that will guide the study of teaching beyond human accounts and intractable discipline-specific burdens of proof.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hollis Taylor
- Macquarie School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Garcia-Oscos F, Koch TMI, Pancholi H, Trusel M, Daliparthi V, Co M, Park SE, Ayhan F, Alam DH, Holdway JE, Konopka G, Roberts TF. Autism-linked gene FoxP1 selectively regulates the cultural transmission of learned vocalizations. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/6/eabd2827. [PMID: 33536209 PMCID: PMC7857683 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd2827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by impaired learning of social skills and language. Memories of how parents and other social models behave are used to guide behavioral learning. How ASD-linked genes affect the intertwined aspects of observational learning and behavioral imitation is not known. Here, we examine how disrupted expression of the ASD gene FOXP1, which causes severe impairments in speech and language learning, affects the cultural transmission of birdsong between adult and juvenile zebra finches. FoxP1 is widely expressed in striatal-projecting forebrain mirror neurons. Knockdown of FoxP1 in this circuit prevents juvenile birds from forming memories of an adult song model but does not interrupt learning how to vocally imitate a previously memorized song. This selective learning deficit is associated with potent disruptions to experience-dependent structural and synaptic plasticity in mirror neurons. Thus, FoxP1 regulates the ability to form memories essential to the cultural transmission of behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Garcia-Oscos
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - T M I Koch
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - H Pancholi
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - M Trusel
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - V Daliparthi
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - M Co
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - S E Park
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - F Ayhan
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - D H Alam
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - J E Holdway
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - G Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - T F Roberts
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Düring DN, Dittrich F, Rocha MD, Tachibana RO, Mori C, Okanoya K, Boehringer R, Ehret B, Grewe BF, Gerber S, Ma S, Rauch M, Paterna JC, Kasper R, Gahr M, Hahnloser RHR. Fast Retrograde Access to Projection Neuron Circuits Underlying Vocal Learning in Songbirds. Cell Rep 2020; 33:108364. [PMID: 33176132 PMCID: PMC8236207 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the structure and function of neural circuits underlying speech and language is a vital step toward better treatments for diseases of these systems. Songbirds, among the few animal orders that share with humans the ability to learn vocalizations from a conspecific, have provided many insights into the neural mechanisms of vocal development. However, research into vocal learning circuits has been hindered by a lack of tools for rapid genetic targeting of specific neuron populations to meet the quick pace of developmental learning. Here, we present a viral tool that enables fast and efficient retrograde access to projection neuron populations. In zebra finches, Bengalese finches, canaries, and mice, we demonstrate fast retrograde labeling of cortical or dopaminergic neurons. We further demonstrate the suitability of our construct for detailed morphological analysis, for in vivo imaging of calcium activity, and for multi-color brainbow labeling. Düring et al. describe a fast and efficient viral vector to dissect structure and function of neural circuits underlying learned vocalizations in songbirds. The AAV variant provides retrograde access to projection neuron circuits, including dopaminergic pathways in songbirds and additionally in mice, and allows for retrograde calcium imaging and multispectral brainbow labeling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel N Düring
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.
| | - Falk Dittrich
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Mariana D Rocha
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | | | - Chihiro Mori
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Roman Boehringer
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Ehret
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin F Grewe
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Gerber
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Shouwen Ma
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Melanie Rauch
- Viral Vector Facility, Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Robert Kasper
- Imaging Facility at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Munich, Germany
| | - Manfred Gahr
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Richard H R Hahnloser
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Yamahachi H, Zai AT, Tachibana RO, Stepien AE, Rodrigues DI, Cavé-Lopez S, Lorenz C, Arneodo EM, Giret N, Hahnloser RHR. Undirected singing rate as a non-invasive tool for welfare monitoring in isolated male zebra finches. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0236333. [PMID: 32776943 PMCID: PMC7416931 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on the songbird zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) has advanced our behavioral, hormonal, neuronal, and genetic understanding of vocal learning. However, little is known about the impact of typical experimental manipulations on the welfare of these birds. Here we explore whether the undirected singing rate can be used as an indicator of welfare. We tested this idea by performing a post hoc analysis of singing behavior in isolated male zebra finches subjected to interactive white noise, to surgery, or to tethering. We find that the latter two experimental manipulations transiently but reliably decreased singing rates. By contraposition, we infer that a high-sustained singing rate is suggestive of successful coping or improved welfare in these experiments. Our analysis across more than 300 days of song data suggests that a singing rate above a threshold of several hundred song motifs per day implies an absence of an acute stressor or a successful coping with stress. Because singing rate can be measured in a completely automatic fashion, its observation can help to reduce experimenter bias in welfare monitoring. Because singing rate measurements are non-invasive, we expect this study to contribute to the refinement of the current welfare monitoring tools in zebra finches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Homare Yamahachi
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anja T. Zai
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ryosuke O. Tachibana
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anna E. Stepien
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Diana I. Rodrigues
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sophie Cavé-Lopez
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Corinna Lorenz
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris Saclay, UMR 9197 CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Ezequiel M. Arneodo
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Giret
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris Saclay, UMR 9197 CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Richard H. R. Hahnloser
- Institute of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Brecht KF, Nieder A. Parting self from others: Individual and self-recognition in birds. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:99-108. [PMID: 32534901 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Individual recognition is the ability to differentiate between conspecifics based on their individual features. It forms the basis of many complex communicative and social behaviours. Here, we review studies investigating individual recognition in the auditory and visual domain in birds. It is well established that auditory signals are used by many birds to discriminate conspecifics. In songbirds, the neuronal structures underpinning auditory recognition are associated with the song system. Individual recognition in the visual domain has mainly been explored in chickens and pigeons, and is less well understood. Currently it is unknown which visual cues birds use to identify conspecifics, and whether they have cortical areas dedicated to processing individual features. Moreover, whether birds can recognise themselves visually, as evidenced by mirror self-recognition, remains controversial. In the auditory domain, the responses of neurons in the song system suggest identification of the bird's own song. The surveyed behavioural and neural findings can provide a framework for more controlled investigations of individual recognition in birds and other species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katharina F Brecht
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Deutsch D, Clemens J, Thiberge SY, Guan G, Murthy M. Shared Song Detector Neurons in Drosophila Male and Female Brains Drive Sex-Specific Behaviors. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3200-3215.e5. [PMID: 31564492 PMCID: PMC6885007 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Males and females often produce distinct responses to the same sensory stimuli. How such differences arise-at the level of sensory processing or in the circuits that generate behavior-remains largely unresolved across sensory modalities. We address this issue in the acoustic communication system of Drosophila. During courtship, males generate time-varying songs, and each sex responds with specific behaviors. We characterize male and female behavioral tuning for all aspects of song and show that feature tuning is similar between sexes, suggesting sex-shared song detectors drive divergent behaviors. We then identify higher-order neurons in the Drosophila brain, called pC2, that are tuned for multiple temporal aspects of one mode of the male's song and drive sex-specific behaviors. We thus uncover neurons that are specifically tuned to an acoustic communication signal and that reside at the sensory-motor interface, flexibly linking auditory perception with sex-specific behavioral responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Deutsch
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Jan Clemens
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA; European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen - A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Max-Planck Society, Grisebachstrasse 5, Göttingen 37077, Germany
| | - Stephan Y Thiberge
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA; Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08540, USA
| | - Georgia Guan
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Mala Murthy
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA; Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08540, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Tramacere A, Wada K, Okanoya K, Iriki A, Ferrari PF. Auditory-Motor Matching in Vocal Recognition and Imitative Learning. Neuroscience 2019; 409:222-234. [PMID: 30742962 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.01.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Songbirds possess mirror neurons (MNs) activating during the perception and execution of specific features of songs. These neurons are located in high vocal center (HVC), a premotor nucleus implicated in song perception, production and learning, making worth to inquire their properties and functions in vocal recognition and imitative learning. By integrating a body of brain and behavioral data, we discuss neurophysiology, anatomical, computational properties and possible functions of songbird MNs. We state that the neurophysiological properties of songbird MNs depends on sensorimotor regions that are outside the auditory neural system. Interestingly, songbirds MNs can be the result of the specific type of song representation possessed by some songbird species. At the functional level, we discuss whether songbird MNs are involved in others' song recognition, by dissecting the function of recognition in various different but possible overlapping processes: action-oriented perception, discriminative-oriented perception and identification of the signaler. We conclude that songbird MNs may be involved in recognizing other singer's vocalizations, while their role in imitative learning still require to solve how auditory feedback are used to correct own vocal performance to match the tutor song. Finally, we compare songbird and human mirror responses, hypothesizing a case of convergent evolution, and proposing new experimental directions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Tramacere
- Max Planck for the Science of Human History, DLCE Department, Jena, Kahlaische Str 10, 07745, Germany.
| | - Kazuhiro Wada
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-10 Nishi-8 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 153-8902 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Iriki
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, 351-0106 Saitama Prefecture, Wako, Hirosawa, Japan
| | - Pier F Ferrari
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, via Volturno, 43125, Italy; Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jannerod, CNRS/Universite' Claude Bernard Lyon, 67 Pd Pinel 69675, Bron Cedex, France
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Carcea I, Froemke RC. Biological mechanisms for observational learning. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 54:178-185. [PMID: 30529989 PMCID: PMC6361711 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Revised: 10/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Observational learning occurs when an animal capitalizes on the experience of another to change its own behavior in a given context. This form of learning is an efficient strategy for adapting to changes in environmental conditions, but little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms. There is an abundance of literature supporting observational learning in humans and other primates, and more recent studies have begun documenting observational learning in other species such as birds and rodents. The neural mechanisms for observational learning depend on the species' brain organization and on the specific behavior being acquired. However, as a general rule, it appears that social information impinges on neural circuits for direct learning, mimicking or enhancing neuronal activity patterns that function during pavlovian, spatial or instrumental learning. Understanding the biological mechanisms for social learning could boost translational studies into behavioral interventions for a wide range of learning disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ioana Carcea
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103 USA; Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, 07103 USA; Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA
| | - Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016 USA.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Urotensin-related gene transcripts mark developmental emergence of the male forebrain vocal control system in songbirds. Sci Rep 2019; 9:816. [PMID: 30692609 PMCID: PMC6349858 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37057-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Songbirds communicate through learned vocalizations, using a forebrain circuit with convergent similarity to vocal-control circuitry in humans. This circuit is incomplete in female zebra finches, hence only males sing. We show that the UTS2B gene, encoding Urotensin-Related Peptide (URP), is uniquely expressed in a key pre-motor vocal nucleus (HVC), and specifically marks the neurons that form a male-specific projection that encodes timing features of learned song. UTS2B-expressing cells appear early in males, prior to projection formation, but are not observed in the female nucleus. We find no expression evidence for canonical receptors within the vocal circuit, suggesting either signalling to other brain regions via diffusion or transduction through other receptor systems. Urotensins have not previously been implicated in vocal control, but we find an annotation in Allen Human Brain Atlas of increased UTS2B expression within portions of human inferior frontal cortex implicated in human speech and singing. Thus UTS2B (URP) is a novel neural marker that may have conserved functions for vocal communication.
Collapse
|
15
|
Fiave PA, Sharma S, Jastorff J, Nelissen K. Investigating common coding of observed and executed actions in the monkey brain using cross-modal multi-variate fMRI classification. Neuroimage 2018; 178:306-317. [PMID: 29787867 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Mirror neurons are generally described as a neural substrate hosting shared representations of actions, by simulating or 'mirroring' the actions of others onto the observer's own motor system. Since single neuron recordings are rarely feasible in humans, it has been argued that cross-modal multi-variate pattern analysis (MVPA) of non-invasive fMRI data is a suitable technique to investigate common coding of observed and executed actions, allowing researchers to infer the presence of mirror neurons in the human brain. In an effort to close the gap between monkey electrophysiology and human fMRI data with respect to the mirror neuron system, here we tested this proposal for the first time in the monkey. Rhesus monkeys either performed reach-and-grasp or reach-and-touch motor acts with their right hand in the dark or observed videos of human actors performing similar motor acts. Unimodal decoding showed that both executed or observed motor acts could be decoded from numerous brain regions. Specific portions of rostral parietal, premotor and motor cortices, previously shown to house mirror neurons, in addition to somatosensory regions, yielded significant asymmetric action-specific cross-modal decoding. These results validate the use of cross-modal multi-variate fMRI analyses to probe the representations of own and others' actions in the primate brain and support the proposed mapping of others' actions onto the observer's own motor cortices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Prosper Agbesi Fiave
- Laboratory for Neuro- & Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Saloni Sharma
- Laboratory for Neuro- & Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan Jastorff
- Research Group Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Koen Nelissen
- Laboratory for Neuro- & Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Functional MRI Responses to Passive, Active, and Observed Touch in Somatosensory and Insular Cortices of the Macaque Monkey. J Neurosci 2018. [PMID: 29540550 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1587-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurophysiological data obtained in primates suggests that merely observing others' actions can modulate activity in the observer's motor cortices. In humans, it has been suggested that these multimodal vicarious responses extend well beyond the motor cortices, including somatosensory and insular brain regions, which seem to yield vicarious responses when witnessing others' actions, sensations, or emotions (Gazzola and Keysers, 2009). Despite the wealth of data with respect to shared action responses in the monkey motor system, whether the somatosensory and insular cortices also yield vicarious responses during observation of touch remains largely unknown. Using independent tactile and motor fMRI localizers, we first mapped the hand representations of two male monkeys' primary (SI) and secondary (SII) somatosensory cortices. In two subsequent visual experiments, we examined fMRI brain responses to (1) observing a conspecific's hand being touched or (2) observing a human hand grasping or mere touching an object or another human hand. Whereas functionally defined "tactile SI" and "tactile SII" showed little involvement in representing observed touch, vicarious responses for touch were found in parietal area PFG, consistent with recent observations in humans (Chan and Baker, 2015). Interestingly, a more anterior portion of SII, and posterior insular cortex, both of which responded when monkeys performed active grasping movements, also yielded visual responses during different instances of touch observation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Common coding of one's own and others' actions, sensations, and emotions seems to be widespread in the brain. Although it is currently unclear to what extent human somatosensory cortices yield vicarious responses when observing touch, even less is known about the presence of similar vicarious responses in monkey somatosensory cortex. We therefore localized monkey somatosensory hand representations using fMRI and investigated whether these regions yield vicarious responses while observing various instances of touch. Whereas "tactile SI and SII" did not elicit responses during touch observation, a more anterior portion of SII, in addition to area PFG and posterior insular cortex, all of which responded during monkeys' own grasping movements, yielded vicarious responses during observed touch.
Collapse
|
17
|
Jeon H, Lee SH. From Neurons to Social Beings: Short Review of the Mirror Neuron System Research and Its Socio-Psychological and Psychiatric Implications. CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE 2018; 16:18-31. [PMID: 29397663 PMCID: PMC5810456 DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2018.16.1.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The mirror neuron system (MNS) is a brain network activated when we move our body parts and when we observe the actions of other agent. Since the mirror neuron’s discovery in research on monkeys, several studies have examined its network and properties in both animals and humans. This review discusses MNS studies of animals and human MNS studies related to high-order social cognitions such as emotion and empathy, as well as relations between MNS dysfunction and mental disorders. Finally, these evidences are understood from an evolutionary perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyeonjin Jeon
- Clinical Emotion and Cognition Research Laboratory, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea
| | - Seung-Hwan Lee
- Clinical Emotion and Cognition Research Laboratory, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Tian LY, Brainard MS. Discrete Circuits Support Generalized versus Context-Specific Vocal Learning in the Songbird. Neuron 2017; 96:1168-1177.e5. [PMID: 29154128 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Revised: 09/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Motor skills depend on the reuse of individual gestures in multiple sequential contexts (e.g., a single phoneme in different words). Yet optimal performance requires that a given gesture be modified appropriately depending on the sequence in which it occurs. To investigate the neural architecture underlying such context-dependent modifications, we studied Bengalese finch song, which, like speech, consists of variable sequences of "syllables." We found that when birds are instructed to modify a syllable in one sequential context, learning generalizes across contexts; however, if unique instruction is provided in different contexts, learning is specific for each context. Using localized inactivation of a cortical-basal ganglia circuit specialized for song, we show that this balance between generalization and specificity reflects a hierarchical organization of neural substrates. Primary motor circuitry encodes a core syllable representation that contributes to generalization, while top-down input from cortical-basal ganglia circuitry biases this representation to enable context-specific learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Y Tian
- Departments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Michael S Brainard
- Departments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Whiten A, van de Waal E. Social learning, culture and the ‘socio-cultural brain’ of human and non-human primates. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 82:58-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
|
20
|
Echoes on the motor network: how internal motor control structures afford sensory experience. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:3865-3888. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1484-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
|
21
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Nomura T, Izawa EI. Avian brains: Insights from development, behaviors and evolution. Dev Growth Differ 2017; 59:244-257. [DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tadashi Nomura
- Developmental Neurobiology; Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine; INAMORI Memorial Building 1-5 Shimogamo-Hangi cho Sakyoku Kyoto 606-0823 Japan
| | - Ei-Ichi Izawa
- Department of Psychology; Keio University; 2-15-45 Mita Minatoku Tokyo 108-8345 Japan
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Perrone-Capano C, Volpicelli F, di Porzio U. Biological bases of human musicality. Rev Neurosci 2017; 28:235-245. [PMID: 28107174 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2016-0046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Music is a universal language, present in all human societies. It pervades the lives of most human beings and can recall memories and feelings of the past, can exert positive effects on our mood, can be strongly evocative and ignite intense emotions, and can establish or strengthen social bonds. In this review, we summarize the research and recent progress on the origins and neural substrates of human musicality as well as the changes in brain plasticity elicited by listening or performing music. Indeed, music improves performance in a number of cognitive tasks and may have beneficial effects on diseased brains. The emerging picture begins to unravel how and why particular brain circuits are affected by music. Numerous studies show that music affects emotions and mood, as it is strongly associated with the brain's reward system. We can therefore assume that an in-depth study of the relationship between music and the brain may help to shed light on how the mind works and how the emotions arise and may improve the methods of music-based rehabilitation for people with neurological disorders. However, many facets of the mind-music connection still remain to be explored and enlightened.
Collapse
|
24
|
Giret N, Edeline JM, Del Negro C. Neural mechanisms of vocal imitation: The role of sleep replay in shaping mirror neurons. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 77:58-73. [PMID: 28288397 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Learning by imitation involves not only perceiving another individual's action to copy it, but also the formation of a memory trace in order to gradually establish a correspondence between the sensory and motor codes, which represent this action through sensorimotor experience. Memory and sensorimotor processes are closely intertwined. Mirror neurons, which fire both when the same action is performed or perceived, have received considerable attention in the context of imitation. An influential view of memory processes considers that the consolidation of newly acquired information or skills involves an active offline reprocessing of memories during sleep within the neuronal networks that were initially used for encoding. Here, we review the recent advances in the field of mirror neurons and offline processes in the songbird. We further propose a theoretical framework that could establish the neurobiological foundations of sensorimotor learning by imitation. We propose that the reactivation of neuronal assemblies during offline periods contributes to the integration of sensory feedback information and the establishment of sensorimotor mirroring activity at the neuronal level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Giret
- Neuroscience Paris-Saclay Institute, CNRS, Université Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France.
| | - Jean-Marc Edeline
- Neuroscience Paris-Saclay Institute, CNRS, Université Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France.
| | - Catherine Del Negro
- Neuroscience Paris-Saclay Institute, CNRS, Université Paris Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Orsay, France.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Skipper JI, Devlin JT, Lametti DR. The hearing ear is always found close to the speaking tongue: Review of the role of the motor system in speech perception. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2017; 164:77-105. [PMID: 27821280 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2016.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2016] [Accepted: 10/24/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Does "the motor system" play "a role" in speech perception? If so, where, how, and when? We conducted a systematic review that addresses these questions using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative review of behavioural, computational modelling, non-human animal, brain damage/disorder, electrical stimulation/recording, and neuroimaging research suggests that distributed brain regions involved in producing speech play specific, dynamic, and contextually determined roles in speech perception. The quantitative review employed region and network based neuroimaging meta-analyses and a novel text mining method to describe relative contributions of nodes in distributed brain networks. Supporting the qualitative review, results show a specific functional correspondence between regions involved in non-linguistic movement of the articulators, covertly and overtly producing speech, and the perception of both nonword and word sounds. This distributed set of cortical and subcortical speech production regions are ubiquitously active and form multiple networks whose topologies dynamically change with listening context. Results are inconsistent with motor and acoustic only models of speech perception and classical and contemporary dual-stream models of the organization of language and the brain. Instead, results are more consistent with complex network models in which multiple speech production related networks and subnetworks dynamically self-organize to constrain interpretation of indeterminant acoustic patterns as listening context requires.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy I Skipper
- Experimental Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom.
| | - Joseph T Devlin
- Experimental Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel R Lametti
- Experimental Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Liu X, Zhang Y, Lin J, Xia Q, Guo N, Li Q. Social Preference Deficits in Juvenile Zebrafish Induced by Early Chronic Exposure to Sodium Valproate. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:201. [PMID: 27812327 PMCID: PMC5071328 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to sodium valproate (VPA), a widely used anti-epileptic drug, is related to a series of dysfunctions, such as deficits in language and communication. Clinical and animal studies have indicated that the effects of VPA are related to the concentration and to the exposure window, while the neurobehavioral effects of VPA have received limited research attention. In the current study, to analyze the neurobehavioral effects of VPA, zebrafish at 24 h post-fertilization (hpf) were treated with early chronic exposure to 20 μM VPA for 7 h per day for 6 days or with early acute exposure to 100 μM VPA for 7 h. A battery of behavioral screenings was conducted at 1 month of age to investigate social preference, locomotor activity, anxiety, and behavioral response to light change. A social preference deficit was only observed in animals with chronic VPA exposure. Acute VPA exposure induced a change in the locomotor activity, while chronic VPA exposure did not affect locomotor activity. Neither exposure procedure influenced anxiety or the behavioral response to light change. These results suggested that VPA has the potential to affect some behaviors in zebrafish, such as social behavior and the locomotor activity, and that the effects were closely related to the concentration and the exposure window. Additionally, social preference seemed to be independent from other simple behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiuyun Liu
- Translational Medical Center for Development and Disease, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defect, Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Yinglan Zhang
- Translational Medical Center for Development and Disease, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defect, Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Jia Lin
- Translational Medical Center for Development and Disease, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defect, Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| | - Qiaoxi Xia
- Department of Life Sciences, Anhui Science and Technology University Anhui, China
| | - Ning Guo
- Center for Chinese Medical Therapy and Systems Biology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Shanghai, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Translational Medical Center for Development and Disease, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defect, Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Westkott M, Pawelzik KR. A Comprehensive Account of Sound Sequence Imitation in the Songbird. Front Comput Neurosci 2016; 10:71. [PMID: 27486395 PMCID: PMC4949261 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2016.00071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The amazing imitation capabilities of songbirds show that they can memorize sensory sequences and transform them into motor activities which in turn generate the original sound sequences. This suggests that the bird's brain can learn (1) to reliably reproduce spatio-temporal sensory representations and (2) to transform them into corresponding spatio-temporal motor activations by using an inverse mapping. Neither the synaptic mechanisms nor the network architecture enabling these two fundamental aspects of imitation learning are known. We propose an architecture of coupled neuronal modules that mimick areas in the song bird and show that a unique synaptic plasticity mechanism can serve to learn both, sensory sequences in a recurrent neuronal network, as well as an inverse model that transforms the sensory memories into the corresponding motor activations. The proposed membrane potential dependent learning rule together with the architecture that includes basic features of the bird's brain represents the first comprehensive account of bird imitation learning based on spiking neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maren Westkott
- Department of Theoretical Physics, University of Bremen Bremen, Germany
| | - Klaus R Pawelzik
- Department of Theoretical Physics, University of Bremen Bremen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Konopka G, Roberts TF. Insights into the Neural and Genetic Basis of Vocal Communication. Cell 2016; 164:1269-1276. [PMID: 26967292 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.02.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The use of vocalizations to communicate information and elaborate social bonds is an adaptation seen in many vertebrate species. Human speech is an extreme version of this pervasive form of communication. Unlike the vocalizations exhibited by the majority of land vertebrates, speech is a learned behavior requiring early sensory exposure and auditory feedback for its development and maintenance. Studies in humans and a small number of other species have provided insights into the neural and genetic basis for learned vocal communication and are helping to delineate the roles of brain circuits across the cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum in generating vocal behaviors. This Review provides an outline of the current knowledge about these circuits and the genes implicated in vocal communication, as well as a perspective on future research directions in this field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Genevieve Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA.
| | - Todd F Roberts
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9111, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Dreosti E, Lopes G, Kampff AR, Wilson SW. Development of social behavior in young zebrafish. Front Neural Circuits 2015; 9:39. [PMID: 26347614 PMCID: PMC4539524 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2015.00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 07/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult zebrafish are robustly social animals whereas larva is not. We designed an assay to determine at what stage of development zebrafish begin to interact with and prefer other fish. One week old zebrafish do not show significant social preference whereas most 3 weeks old zebrafish strongly prefer to remain in a compartment where they can view conspecifics. However, for some individuals, the presence of conspecifics drives avoidance instead of attraction. Social preference is dependent on vision and requires viewing fish of a similar age/size. In addition, over the same 1–3 weeks period larval zebrafish increasingly tend to coordinate their movements, a simple form of social interaction. Finally, social preference and coupled interactions are differentially modified by an NMDAR antagonist and acute exposure to ethanol, both of which are known to alter social behavior in adult zebrafish.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Dreosti
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London London, UK
| | - Gonçalo Lopes
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Adam R Kampff
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Stephen W Wilson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Mori C, Wada K. Songbird: a unique animal model for studying the molecular basis of disorders of vocal development and communication. Exp Anim 2015; 64:221-30. [PMID: 25912323 PMCID: PMC4547995 DOI: 10.1538/expanim.15-0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Like humans, songbirds are one of the few animal groups that learn vocalization. Vocal
learning requires coordination of auditory input and vocal output using auditory feedback
to guide one’s own vocalizations during a specific developmental stage known as the
critical period. Songbirds are good animal models for understand the neural basis of vocal
learning, a complex form of imitation, because they have many parallels to humans with
regard to the features of vocal behavior and neural circuits dedicated to vocal learning.
In this review, we will summarize the behavioral, neural, and genetic traits of birdsong.
We will also discuss how studies of birdsong can help us understand how the development of
neural circuits for vocal learning and production is driven by sensory input (auditory
information) and motor output (vocalization).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Mori
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
García RR, Zamorano F, Aboitiz F. From imitation to meaning: circuit plasticity and the acquisition of a conventionalized semantics. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:605. [PMID: 25152726 PMCID: PMC4126550 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2013] [Accepted: 07/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The capacity for language is arguably the most remarkable innovation of the human brain. A relatively recent interpretation prescribes that part of the language-related circuits were co-opted from circuitry involved in hand control-the mirror neuron system (MNS), involved both in the perception and in the execution of voluntary grasping actions. A less radical view is that in early humans, communication was opportunistic and multimodal, using signs, vocalizations or whatever means available to transmit social information. However, one point that is not yet clear under either perspective is how learned communication acquired a semantic property thereby allowing us to name objects and eventually describe our surrounding environment. Here we suggest a scenario involving both manual gestures and learned vocalizations that led to the development of a primitive form of conventionalized reference. This proposal is based on comparative evidence gathered from other species and on neurolinguistic evidence in humans, which points to a crucial role for vocal learning in the early development of language. Firstly, the capacity to direct the attention of others to a common object may have been crucial for developing a consensual referential system. Pointing, which is a ritualized grasping gesture, may have been crucial to this end. Vocalizations also served to generate joint attention among conversants, especially when combined with gaze direction. Another contributing element was the development of pantomimic actions resembling events or animals. In conjunction with this mimicry, the development of plastic neural circuits that support complex, learned vocalizations was probably a significant factor in the evolution of conventionalized semantics in our species. Thus, vocal imitations of sounds, as in onomatopoeias (words whose sound resembles their meaning), are possibly supported by mirror system circuits, and may have been relevant in the acquisition of early meanings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo R. García
- Centro de Estudios Cognitivos, Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades, Universidad de ChileSantiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Zamorano
- División de Neurociencia, Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social, Facultad de Gobierno, Universidad del DesarrolloSantiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Aboitiz
- Departamento de Psiquiatría, Escuela de Medicina, y Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileSantiago, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Ferrari PF, Rizzolatti G. Mirror neuron research: the past and the future. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2014; 369:20130169. [PMID: 24778369 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
|