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Belyk M, Eichert N, McGettigan C. A dual larynx motor networks hypothesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200392. [PMID: 34719252 PMCID: PMC8558777 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are vocal modulators par excellence. This ability is supported in part by the dual representation of the laryngeal muscles in the motor cortex. Movement, however, is not the product of motor cortex alone but of a broader motor network. This network consists of brain regions that contain somatotopic maps that parallel the organization in motor cortex. We therefore present a novel hypothesis that the dual laryngeal representation is repeated throughout the broader motor network. In support of the hypothesis, we review existing literature that demonstrates the existence of network-wide somatotopy and present initial evidence for the hypothesis' plausibility. Understanding how this uniquely human phenotype in motor cortex interacts with broader brain networks is an important step toward understanding how humans evolved the ability to speak. We further suggest that this system may provide a means to study how individual components of the nervous system evolved within the context of neuronal networks. This article is part of the theme issue 'Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Belyk
- Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4QP, UK
| | - Nicole Eichert
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Carolyn McGettigan
- Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
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Kuo DH, De-Miguel FF, Heath-Heckman EAC, Szczupak L, Todd K, Weisblat DA, Winchell CJ. A tale of two leeches: Toward the understanding of the evolution and development of behavioral neural circuits. Evol Dev 2020; 22:471-493. [PMID: 33226195 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In the animal kingdom, behavioral traits encompass a broad spectrum of biological phenotypes that have critical roles in adaptive evolution, but an EvoDevo approach has not been broadly used to study behavior evolution. Here, we propose that, by integrating two leech model systems, each of which has already attained some success in its respective field, it is possible to take on behavioral traits with an EvoDevo approach. We first identify the developmental changes that may theoretically lead to behavioral evolution and explain why an EvoDevo study of behavior is challenging. Next, we discuss the pros and cons of the two leech model species, Hirudo, a classic model for invertebrate neurobiology, and Helobdella, an emerging model for clitellate developmental biology, as models for behavioral EvoDevo research. Given the limitations of each leech system, neither is particularly strong for behavioral EvoDevo. However, the two leech systems are complementary in their technical accessibilities, and they do exhibit some behavioral similarities and differences. By studying them in parallel and together with additional leech species such as Haementeria, it is possible to explore the different levels of behavioral development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dian-Han Kuo
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Francisco F De-Miguel
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular - Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
| | | | - Lidia Szczupak
- Departamento de Fisiología Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBYNE UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Krista Todd
- Department of Neuroscience, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - David A Weisblat
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Christopher J Winchell
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
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Lovell PV, Huizinga NA, Friedrich SR, Wirthlin M, Mello CV. The constitutive differential transcriptome of a brain circuit for vocal learning. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:231. [PMID: 29614959 PMCID: PMC5883274 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4578-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The ability to imitate the vocalizations of other organisms, a trait known as vocal learning, is shared by only a few organisms, including humans, where it subserves the acquisition of speech and language, and 3 groups of birds. In songbirds, vocal learning requires the coordinated activity of a set of specialized brain nuclei referred to as the song control system. Recent efforts have revealed some of the genes that are expressed in these vocal nuclei, however a thorough characterization of the transcriptional specializations of this system is still missing. We conducted a rigorous and comprehensive analysis of microarrays, and conducted a separate analysis of 380 genes by in situ hybridizations in order to identify molecular specializations of the major nuclei of the song system of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), a songbird species. Results Our efforts identified more than 3300 genes that are differentially regulated in one or more vocal nuclei of adult male birds compared to the adjacent brain regions. Bioinformatics analyses provided insights into the possible involvement of these genes in molecular pathways such as cellular morphogenesis, intrinsic cellular excitability, neurotransmission and neuromodulation, axonal guidance and cela-to-cell interactions, and cell survival, which are known to strongly influence the functional properties of the song system. Moreover, an in-depth analysis of specific gene families with known involvement in regulating the development and physiological properties of neuronal circuits provides further insights into possible modulators of the song system. Conclusion Our study represents one of the most comprehensive molecular characterizations of a brain circuit that evolved to facilitate a learned behavior in a vertebrate. The data provide novel insights into possible molecular determinants of the functional properties of the song control circuitry. It also provides lists of compelling targets for pharmacological and genetic manipulations to elucidate the molecular regulation of song behavior and vocal learning. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4578-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter V Lovell
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd L470, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Nicole A Huizinga
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd L470, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Samantha R Friedrich
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd L470, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Morgan Wirthlin
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd L470, Portland, OR, USA.,Current affiliation: Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Claudio V Mello
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd L470, Portland, OR, USA.
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The origins of the vocal brain in humans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 77:177-193. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Revised: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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Petkov CI, Jarvis ED. Birds, primates, and spoken language origins: behavioral phenotypes and neurobiological substrates. FRONTIERS IN EVOLUTIONARY NEUROSCIENCE 2012; 4:12. [PMID: 22912615 PMCID: PMC3419981 DOI: 10.3389/fnevo.2012.00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 233] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2011] [Accepted: 07/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Vocal learners such as humans and songbirds can learn to produce elaborate patterns of structurally organized vocalizations, whereas many other vertebrates such as non-human primates and most other bird groups either cannot or do so to a very limited degree. To explain the similarities among humans and vocal-learning birds and the differences with other species, various theories have been proposed. One set of theories are motor theories, which underscore the role of the motor system as an evolutionary substrate for vocal production learning. For instance, the motor theory of speech and song perception proposes enhanced auditory perceptual learning of speech in humans and song in birds, which suggests a considerable level of neurobiological specialization. Another, a motor theory of vocal learning origin, proposes that the brain pathways that control the learning and production of song and speech were derived from adjacent motor brain pathways. Another set of theories are cognitive theories, which address the interface between cognition and the auditory-vocal domains to support language learning in humans. Here we critically review the behavioral and neurobiological evidence for parallels and differences between the so-called vocal learners and vocal non-learners in the context of motor and cognitive theories. In doing so, we note that behaviorally vocal-production learning abilities are more distributed than categorical, as are the auditory-learning abilities of animals. We propose testable hypotheses on the extent of the specializations and cross-species correspondences suggested by motor and cognitive theories. We believe that determining how spoken language evolved is likely to become clearer with concerted efforts in testing comparative data from many non-human animal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I. Petkov
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle UniversityNewcastle upon Tyne, UK
- Centre for Behavior and Evolution, Newcastle UniversityNewcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Erich D. Jarvis
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke UniversityDurham, NC, USA
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Specialized motor-driven dusp1 expression in the song systems of multiple lineages of vocal learning birds. PLoS One 2012; 7:e42173. [PMID: 22876306 PMCID: PMC3410896 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2011] [Accepted: 07/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms for the evolution of convergent behavioral traits are largely unknown. Vocal learning is one such trait that evolved multiple times and is necessary in humans for the acquisition of spoken language. Among birds, vocal learning is evolved in songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds. Each time similar forebrain song nuclei specialized for vocal learning and production have evolved. This finding led to the hypothesis that the behavioral and neuroanatomical convergences for vocal learning could be associated with molecular convergence. We previously found that the neural activity-induced gene dual specificity phosphatase 1 (dusp1) was up-regulated in non-vocal circuits, specifically in sensory-input neurons of the thalamus and telencephalon; however, dusp1 was not up-regulated in higher order sensory neurons or motor circuits. Here we show that song motor nuclei are an exception to this pattern. The song nuclei of species from all known vocal learning avian lineages showed motor-driven up-regulation of dusp1 expression induced by singing. There was no detectable motor-driven dusp1 expression throughout the rest of the forebrain after non-vocal motor performance. This pattern contrasts with expression of the commonly studied activity-induced gene egr1, which shows motor-driven expression in song nuclei induced by singing, but also motor-driven expression in adjacent brain regions after non-vocal motor behaviors. In the vocal non-learning avian species, we found no detectable vocalizing-driven dusp1 expression in the forebrain. These findings suggest that independent evolutions of neural systems for vocal learning were accompanied by selection for specialized motor-driven expression of the dusp1 gene in those circuits. This specialized expression of dusp1 could potentially lead to differential regulation of dusp1-modulated molecular cascades in vocal learning circuits.
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Hybrid error correction and de novo assembly of single-molecule sequencing reads. Nat Biotechnol 2012; 30:693-700. [PMID: 22750884 PMCID: PMC3707490 DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 698] [Impact Index Per Article: 58.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2011] [Accepted: 05/18/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Single-molecule sequencing instruments can generate multikilobase sequences with the potential to greatly improve genome and transcriptome assembly. However, the error rates of single-molecule reads are high, which has limited their use thus far to resequencing bacteria. To address this limitation, we introduce a correction algorithm and assembly strategy that uses short, high-fidelity sequences to correct the error in single-molecule sequences. We demonstrate the utility of this approach on reads generated by a PacBio RS instrument from phage, prokaryotic and eukaryotic whole genomes, including the previously unsequenced genome of the parrot Melopsittacus undulatus, as well as for RNA-Seq reads of the corn (Zea mays) transcriptome. Our long-read correction achieves >99.9% base-call accuracy, leading to substantially better assemblies than current sequencing strategies: in the best example, the median contig size was quintupled relative to high-coverage, second-generation assemblies. Greater gains are predicted if read lengths continue to increase, including the prospect of single-contig bacterial chromosome assembly.
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Matsunaga E, Suzuki K, Kobayashi T, Okanoya K. Comparative analysis of mineralocorticoid receptor expression among vocal learners (Bengalese finch and budgerigar) and non-vocal learners (quail and ring dove) has implications for the evolution of avian vocal learning. Dev Growth Differ 2011; 53:961-70. [PMID: 22010640 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-169x.2011.01302.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Mineralocorticoid receptor is the receptor for corticosteroids such as corticosterone or aldosterone. Previously, we found that mineralocorticoid receptor was highly expressed in song nuclei of a songbird, Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata var. domestica). Here, to examine the relationship between mineralocorticoid receptor expression and avian vocal learning, we analyzed mineralocorticoid receptor expression in the developing brain of another vocal learner, budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) and non-vocal learners, quail (Coturnix japonica) and ring dove (Streptopelia capicola). Mineralocorticoid receptor showed vocal control area-related expressions in budgerigars as Bengalese finches, whereas no such mineralocorticoid receptor expressions were seen in the telencephalon of non-vocal learners. Thus, these results suggest the possibility that mineralocorticoid receptor plays a role in vocal development of parrots as songbirds and that the acquisition of mineralocorticoid receptor expression is involved in the evolution of avian vocal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiji Matsunaga
- Laboratory for Symbolic Cognitive Development, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako 351-0198 Japan.
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Matsunaga E, Okanoya K. Comparative gene expression analysis among vocal learners (bengalese finch and budgerigar) and non-learners (quail and ring dove) reveals variable cadherin expressions in the vocal system. Front Neuroanat 2011; 5:28. [PMID: 21541260 PMCID: PMC3083831 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2011.00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2010] [Accepted: 04/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds use various vocalizations to communicate with one another, and some are acquired through learning. So far, three families of birds (songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds) have been identified as having vocal learning ability. Previously, we found that cadherins, a large family of cell-adhesion molecules, show vocal control-area-related expression in a songbird, the Bengalese finch. To investigate the molecular basis of evolution in avian species, we conducted comparative analysis of cadherin expressions in the vocal and other neural systems among vocal learners (Bengalese finch and budgerigar) and a non-learner (quail and ring dove). The gene expression analysis revealed that cadherin expressions were more variable in vocal and auditory areas compared to vocally unrelated areas such as the visual areas among these species. Thus, it appears that such diverse cadherin expressions might have been related to generating species diversity in vocal behavior during the evolution of avian vocal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiji Matsunaga
- Laboratory for Symbolic Cognitive Development, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako Saitama, Japan
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