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Frank SY, Hunt JL, Bae AJ, Chirathivat N, Lotfi S, Raja SC, Gobes SMH. Hemispheric dominance in HVC is experience-dependent in juvenile male zebra finches. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5781. [PMID: 38461197 PMCID: PMC10924951 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55987-6] [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: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Juvenile male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) must be exposed to an adult tutor during a sensitive period to develop normal adult song. The pre-motor nucleus HVC (acronym used as a proper name), plays a critical role in song learning and production (cf. Broca's area in humans). In the human brain, left-side hemispheric dominance in some language regions is positively correlated with proficiency in linguistic skills. However, it is unclear whether this pattern depends upon language learning, develops with normal maturation of the brain, or is the result of pre-existing functional asymmetries. In juvenile zebra finches, even though both left and right HVC contribute to song production, baseline molecular activity in HVC is left-dominant. To test if HVC exhibits hemispheric dominance prior to song learning, we raised juvenile males in isolation from adult song and measured neuronal activity in the left and right HVC upon first exposure to an auditory stimulus. Activity in the HVC was measured using the immediate early gene (IEG) zenk (acronym for zif-268, egr-1, NGFI-a, and krox-24) as a marker for neuronal activity. We found that neuronal activity in the HVC of juvenile male zebra finches is not lateralized when raised in the absence of adult song, while normally-reared juvenile birds are left-dominant. These findings show that there is no pre-existing asymmetry in the HVC prior to song exposure, suggesting that lateralization of the song system depends on learning through early exposure to adult song and subsequent song-imitation practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Y Frank
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
| | - Jesse L Hunt
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
| | - Andrea J Bae
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
| | - Napim Chirathivat
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
| | - Sima Lotfi
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
| | - Sahitya C Raja
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA
| | - Sharon M H Gobes
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02481, USA.
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2
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Neef NE, Chang SE. Knowns and unknowns about the neurobiology of stuttering. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002492. [PMID: 38386639 PMCID: PMC10883586 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Stuttering occurs in early childhood during a dynamic phase of brain and behavioral development. The latest studies examining children at ages close to this critical developmental period have identified early brain alterations that are most likely linked to stuttering, while spontaneous recovery appears related to increased inter-area connectivity. By contrast, therapy-driven improvement in adults is associated with a functional reorganization within and beyond the speech network. The etiology of stuttering, however, remains enigmatic. This Unsolved Mystery highlights critical questions and points to neuroimaging findings that could inspire future research to uncover how genetics, interacting neural hierarchies, social context, and reward circuitry contribute to the many facets of stuttering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E. Neef
- Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Soo-Eun Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Department of Communication Disorders, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea
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3
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Favila N, Gurney K, Overton PG. Role of the basal ganglia in innate and learned behavioural sequences. Rev Neurosci 2024; 35:35-55. [PMID: 37437141 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2023-0038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Integrating individual actions into coherent, organised behavioural units, a process called chunking, is a fundamental, evolutionarily conserved process that renders actions automatic. In vertebrates, evidence points to the basal ganglia - a complex network believed to be involved in action selection - as a key component of action sequence encoding, although the underlying mechanisms are only just beginning to be understood. Central pattern generators control many innate automatic behavioural sequences that form some of the most basic behaviours in an animal's repertoire, and in vertebrates, brainstem and spinal pattern generators are under the control of higher order structures such as the basal ganglia. Evidence suggests that the basal ganglia play a crucial role in the concatenation of simpler behaviours into more complex chunks, in the context of innate behavioural sequences such as chain grooming in rats, as well as sequences in which innate capabilities and learning interact such as birdsong, and sequences that are learned from scratch, such as lever press sequences in operant behaviour. It has been proposed that the role of the striatum, the largest input structure of the basal ganglia, might lie in selecting and allowing the relevant central pattern generators to gain access to the motor system in the correct order, while inhibiting other behaviours. As behaviours become more complex and flexible, the pattern generators seem to become more dependent on descending signals. Indeed, during learning, the striatum itself may adopt the functional characteristics of a higher order pattern generator, facilitated at the microcircuit level by striatal neuropeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Favila
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Kevin Gurney
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 2LT, UK
| | - Paul G Overton
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 2LT, UK
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4
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Schuppe ER, Ballagh I, Akbari N, Fang W, Perelmuter JT, Radtke CH, Marchaterre MA, Bass AH. Midbrain node for context-specific vocalisation in fish. Nat Commun 2024; 15:189. [PMID: 38167237 PMCID: PMC10762186 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43794-y] [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: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Vocalizations communicate information indicative of behavioural state across divergent social contexts. Yet, how brain regions actively pattern the acoustic features of context-specific vocal signals remains largely unexplored. The midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a major site for initiating vocalization among mammals, including primates. We show that PAG neurons in a highly vocal fish species (Porichthys notatus) are activated in distinct patterns during agonistic versus courtship calling by males, with few co-activated during a non-vocal behaviour, foraging. Pharmacological manipulations within vocally active PAG, but not hindbrain, sites evoke vocal network output to sonic muscles matching the temporal features of courtship and agonistic calls, showing that a balance of inhibitory and excitatory dynamics is likely necessary for patterning different call types. Collectively, these findings support the hypothesis that vocal species of fish and mammals share functionally comparable PAG nodes that in some species can influence the acoustic structure of social context-specific vocal signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric R Schuppe
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Irene Ballagh
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada
| | - Najva Akbari
- Department of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Wenxuan Fang
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada
| | | | - Caleb H Radtke
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | | | - Andrew H Bass
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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5
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Wang AS, Wan X, Storch DS, Li VY, Cornez G, Balthazart J, Cisneros-Franco JM, de Villers-Sidani E, Sakata JT. Cross-species conservation in the regulation of parvalbumin by perineuronal nets. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1297643. [PMID: 38179221 PMCID: PMC10766385 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1297643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Parvalbumin (PV) neurons play an integral role in regulating neural dynamics and plasticity. Therefore, understanding the factors that regulate PV expression is important for revealing modulators of brain function. While the contribution of PV neurons to neural processes has been studied in mammals, relatively little is known about PV function in non-mammalian species, and discerning similarities in the regulation of PV across species can provide insight into evolutionary conservation in the role of PV neurons. Here we investigated factors that affect the abundance of PV in PV neurons in sensory and motor circuits of songbirds and rodents. In particular, we examined the degree to which perineuronal nets (PNNs), extracellular matrices that preferentially surround PV neurons, modulate PV abundance as well as how the relationship between PV and PNN expression differs across brain areas and species and changes over development. We generally found that cortical PV neurons that are surrounded by PNNs (PV+PNN neurons) are more enriched with PV than PV neurons without PNNs (PV-PNN neurons) across both rodents and songbirds. Interestingly, the relationship between PV and PNN expression in the vocal portion of the basal ganglia of songbirds (Area X) differed from that in other areas, with PV+PNN neurons having lower PV expression compared to PV-PNN neurons. These relationships remained consistent across development in vocal motor circuits of the songbird brain. Finally, we discovered a causal contribution of PNNs to PV expression in songbirds because degradation of PNNs led to a diminution of PV expression in PV neurons. These findings reveal a conserved relationship between PV and PNN expression in sensory and motor cortices and across songbirds and rodents and suggest that PV neurons could modulate plasticity and neural dynamics in similar ways across songbirds and rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela S. Wang
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Xinghaoyun Wan
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Vivian Y. Li
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gilles Cornez
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | | | - Etienne de Villers-Sidani
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Research in Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jon T. Sakata
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Research in Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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6
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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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7
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Adam I, Riebel K, Stål P, Wood N, Previs MJ, Elemans CPH. Daily vocal exercise is necessary for peak performance singing in a songbird. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7787. [PMID: 38086817 PMCID: PMC10716414 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43592-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Vocal signals, including human speech and birdsong, are produced by complicated, precisely coordinated body movements, whose execution is fitness-determining in resource competition and mate choice. While the acquisition and maintenance of motor skills generally requires practice to develop and maintain both motor circuitry and muscle performance, it is unknown whether vocal muscles, like limb muscles, exhibit exercise-induced plasticity. Here, we show that juvenile and adult zebra finches (Taeniopygia castanotis) require daily vocal exercise to first gain and subsequently maintain peak vocal muscle performance. Experimentally preventing male birds from singing alters both vocal muscle physiology and vocal performance within days. Furthermore, we find females prefer song of vocally exercised males in choice experiments. Vocal output thus contains information on recent exercise status, and acts as an honest indicator of past exercise investment in songbirds, and possibly in all vocalising vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Adam
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
| | - Katharina Riebel
- Institute of Biology, Animal Sciences & Health, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Per Stål
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umea University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Neil Wood
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, NJ, USA
| | - Michael J Previs
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, NJ, USA
| | - Coen P H Elemans
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
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8
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Hodges RM, Chase KJ, Tripson MA, Bingham S, Woolley-Roberts M, Guy GW, Soderstrom K. Δ 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Differentially Alters Cannabidiol Efficacy in Recovery of Phonology and Syntax Following Damage to a Songbird Cortical-Like Brain Region. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res 2023; 8:790-801. [PMID: 36125410 PMCID: PMC10589500 DOI: 10.1089/can.2022.0073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: There are few vocal learning animals that are suitable for laboratory study, and so songbirds have unique utility for evaluating drug effects on behavior learned during a critical period of development. We previously found that purified botanically-derived cannabidiol (CBD, ≥98%) mitigates effects of partial ablation of zebra finch HVC, a pre-vocal motor cortical region. Here we expand prior work to determine ability of the euphorigenic cannabis constituent, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to modulate CBD efficacy. Evidence suggests relative abundance of phytocannabinoids within cannabis extracts is an important determinant of activity, with CBD:THC of particular significance. As CBD-enriched extracts have become increasingly available both by prescription and over the counter, differential efficacy associated with distinct phytocannabinoid combinations and relative CBD:THC amounts is of increasing concern. Methods and Results: To evaluate THC modulation of CBD efficacy in mitigating the effects of partial ablation of zebra finch HVC, we have tested 3 mg/kg of purified botanically derived CBD (≥98%) containing 0.02, 0.08, 1, 3 and 5% THC. Results demonstrate differential efficacy on phonology and syntax, consistent with complex, hormetic dose-responses. On phonology, CBD with the lowest THC content (3% CBD + 0.02% THC) improved recovery while that with the highest THC content (3% CBD+5% THC) slowed it. In terms of syntax, all THC concentrations improved recovery time with the higher 3 mg/kg+3% THC being distinctly effective in returning behavior to pre-injury levels, and the highest 3 mg/kg CBD+5% THC for reducing the acute magnitude of syntax disruption. Differential phonology and syntax effects likely involve distinct neural circuits that control vocal learning and production. Understanding these systems-level effects will inform mechanisms underlying both phytocannabinoid action, and learning-dependent vocal recovery. Conclusions: Overall, we have found that efficacy of purified botanically derived CBD (≥98%) to influence vocal recovery varies with THC content in complex ways. This adds to evidence of differential efficacy with phytocannabinoid combinations and ratios thereof and underscores the importance of careful control over cannabis preparations used therapeutically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M. Hodges
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ECU Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Katherine J. Chase
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ECU Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Mark A. Tripson
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ECU Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | | | - Ken Soderstrom
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ECU Brody School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
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9
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Wang AS, Wan X, Storch DS, Cornez G, Balthazart J, Cisneros-Franco JM, de Villers-Sidani E, Sakata JT. Cross-species conservation in the regulation of parvalbumin by perineuronal nets. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.13.557580. [PMID: 37745532 PMCID: PMC10515890 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.13.557580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Parvalbumin (PV) neurons play an integral role in regulating neural dynamics and plasticity. Therefore, understanding the factors that regulate PV expression is important for revealing modulators of brain function. While the contribution of PV neurons to neural processes has been studied in mammals, relatively little is known about PV function in non-mammalian species, and discerning similarities in the regulation of PV across species can provide insight into evolutionary conservation in the role of PV neurons. Here we investigated factors that affect the abundance of PV in PV neurons in sensory and motor circuits of songbirds and rodents. In particular, we examined the degree to which perineuronal nets (PNNs), extracellular matrices that preferentially surround PV neurons, modulate PV abundance as well as how the relationship between PV and PNN expression differs across brain areas and species and changes over development. We generally found that cortical PV neurons that are surrounded by PNNs (PV+PNN neurons) are more enriched with PV than PV neurons without PNNs (PV-PNN neurons) across both rodents and songbirds. Interestingly, the relationship between PV and PNN expression in the vocal portion of the basal ganglia of songbirds (Area X) differed from that in other areas, with PV+PNN neurons having lower PV expression compared to PV-PNN neurons. These relationships remained consistent across development in vocal motor circuits of the songbird brain. Finally, we discovered a causal contribution of PNNs to PV expression in songbirds because degradation of PNNs led to a diminution of PV expression in PV neurons. These findings in reveal a conserved relationship between PV and PNN expression in sensory and motor cortices and across songbirds and rodents and suggest that PV neurons could modulate plasticity and neural dynamics in similar ways across songbirds and rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela S. Wang
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Xinghaoyun Wan
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - Gilles Cornez
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | | | - Etienne de Villers-Sidani
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research in Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jon T. Sakata
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Centre for Research in Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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10
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James LS, Wang AS, Bertolo M, Sakata JT. Learning to pause: Fidelity of and biases in the developmental acquisition of gaps in the communicative signals of a songbird. Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13382. [PMID: 36861437 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
The temporal organization of sounds used in social contexts can provide information about signal function and evoke varying responses in listeners (receivers). For example, music is a universal and learned human behavior that is characterized by different rhythms and tempos that can evoke disparate responses in listeners. Similarly, birdsong is a social behavior in songbirds that is learned during critical periods in development and used to evoke physiological and behavioral responses in receivers. Recent investigations have begun to reveal the breadth of universal patterns in birdsong and their similarities to common patterns in speech and music, but relatively little is known about the degree to which biological predispositions and developmental experiences interact to shape the temporal patterning of birdsong. Here, we investigated how biological predispositions modulate the acquisition and production of an important temporal feature of birdsong, namely the duration of silent pauses ("gaps") between vocal elements ("syllables"). Through analyses of semi-naturally raised and experimentally tutored zebra finches, we observed that juvenile zebra finches imitate the durations of the silent gaps in their tutor's song. Further, when juveniles were experimentally tutored with stimuli containing a wide range of gap durations, we observed biases in the prevalence and stereotypy of gap durations. Together, these studies demonstrate how biological predispositions and developmental experiences differently affect distinct temporal features of birdsong and highlight similarities in developmental plasticity across birdsong, speech, and music. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: The temporal organization of learned acoustic patterns can be similar across human cultures and across species, suggesting biological predispositions in acquisition. We studied how biological predispositions and developmental experiences affect an important temporal feature of birdsong, namely the duration of silent intervals between vocal elements ("gaps"). Semi-naturally and experimentally tutored zebra finches imitated the durations of gaps in their tutor's song and displayed some biases in the learning and production of gap durations and in gap variability. These findings in the zebra finch provide parallels with the acquisition of temporal features of speech and music in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan S James
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Angela S Wang
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mila Bertolo
- Centre for Research in Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jon T Sakata
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Research in Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
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11
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Fujimoto H, Hasegawa T. Reversible inhibition of the basal ganglia prolongs repetitive vocalization but only weakly affects sequencing at branch points in songbirds. Cereb Cortex Commun 2023; 4:tgad016. [PMID: 37675437 PMCID: PMC10477706 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgad016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Although vocal signals, including languages and songbird syllables, are composed of a finite number of acoustic elements, diverse vocal sequences are composed of a combination of these elements, which are linked together by syntactic rules. However, the neural basis of syntactic vocalization generation remains poorly understood. Here, we report that inhibition using tetrodotoxin (TTX) and manipulations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors within the basal ganglia Area X or lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (LMAN) alter and prolong repetitive vocalization in Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata var. domestica). These results suggest that repetitive vocalizations are modulated by the basal ganglia and not solely by higher motor cortical neurons. These data highlight the importance of neural circuits, including the basal ganglia, in the production of stereotyped repetitive vocalizations and demonstrate that dynamic disturbances within the basal ganglia circuitry can differentially affect the repetitive temporal features of songs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisataka Fujimoto
- Department of Anatomy, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama 701-0192, Japan
| | - Taku Hasegawa
- Laboratory for Imagination and Executive functions, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wakoshi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
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12
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Imaezue GC, Tchernichovski O, Goral M. Recursive Self-feedback Improved Speech Fluency in Two Patients with Chronic Nonfluent Aphasia. APHASIOLOGY 2023; 38:838-861. [PMID: 38894858 PMCID: PMC11182658 DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2023.2239511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Background Previous studies have demonstrated that people with nonfluent aphasia (PWNA) improve their language production after repeating personalized scripts, modeled by speech-language pathologists (SLPs). If PWNA could improve by using their own self-feedback, relying less on external feedback, barriers to aphasia treatment, such as a dearth of clinicians and mobility issues, can be overcome. Here we examine whether PWNA improve their language production through an automated procedure that exposes them to playbacks of their own speech, which are updated recursively, without any feedback from SLPs. Method We tested if recursive self-feedback could improve speech fluency in two persons with chronic nonfluent aphasia. We compared two treatments: script production with recursive self-feedback (a new technique) and a non-self-feedback training. We administered the treatments remotely to the participants through their smartphones using two versions of a mobile app we developed. Each participant engaged in each treatment for about three weeks. We estimated clinical improvements of script production through a quantitative trend analysis and nonoverlap of all pairs. Results Recursive self-feedback improved speaking rate and speech initiation latency of trained and untrained scripts in both participants. The control (non-self-feedback) training was also effective, but it induced a somewhat weaker improvement in speaking rate, and improved speech initiation latency in only one participant. Conclusion Our findings provide preliminary evidence that PWNA can improve their speaking rate and speech initiation latency during production of scripts via fully automated recursive self-feedback. The beneficial effects of recursive self-feedback training suggest that speech unison and repeated exposures to written scripts may be optional ingredients of script-based treatments for aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald C. Imaezue
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Florida
| | | | - Mira Goral
- Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences Program, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
- Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York
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13
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Colquitt BM, Li K, Green F, Veline R, Brainard MS. Neural circuit-wide analysis of changes to gene expression during deafening-induced birdsong destabilization. eLife 2023; 12:e85970. [PMID: 37284822 PMCID: PMC10259477 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85970] [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: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory feedback is required for the stable execution of learned motor skills, and its loss can severely disrupt motor performance. The neural mechanisms that mediate sensorimotor stability have been extensively studied at systems and physiological levels, yet relatively little is known about how disruptions to sensory input alter the molecular properties of associated motor systems. Songbird courtship song, a model for skilled behavior, is a learned and highly structured vocalization that is destabilized following deafening. Here, we sought to determine how the loss of auditory feedback modifies gene expression and its coordination across the birdsong sensorimotor circuit. To facilitate this system-wide analysis of transcriptional responses, we developed a gene expression profiling approach that enables the construction of hundreds of spatially-defined RNA-sequencing libraries. Using this method, we found that deafening preferentially alters gene expression across birdsong neural circuitry relative to surrounding areas, particularly in premotor and striatal regions. Genes with altered expression are associated with synaptic transmission, neuronal spines, and neuromodulation and show a bias toward expression in glutamatergic neurons and Pvalb/Sst-class GABAergic interneurons. We also found that connected song regions exhibit correlations in gene expression that were reduced in deafened birds relative to hearing birds, suggesting that song destabilization alters the inter-region coordination of transcriptional states. Finally, lesioning LMAN, a forebrain afferent of RA required for deafening-induced song plasticity, had the largest effect on groups of genes that were also most affected by deafening. Combined, this integrated transcriptomics analysis demonstrates that the loss of peripheral sensory input drives a distributed gene expression response throughout associated sensorimotor neural circuitry and identifies specific candidate molecular and cellular mechanisms that support the stability and plasticity of learned motor skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley M Colquitt
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseUnited States
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Kelly Li
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseUnited States
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Foad Green
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseUnited States
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Robert Veline
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseUnited States
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Michael S Brainard
- Howard Hughes Medical InstituteChevy ChaseUnited States
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
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14
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Mackevicius EL, Gu S, Denisenko NI, Fee MS. Self-organization of songbird neural sequences during social isolation. eLife 2023; 12:e77262. [PMID: 37252761 PMCID: PMC10229124 DOI: 10.7554/elife.77262] [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: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Behaviors emerge via a combination of experience and innate predispositions. As the brain matures, it undergoes major changes in cellular, network, and functional properties that can be due to sensory experience as well as developmental processes. In normal birdsong learning, neural sequences emerge to control song syllables learned from a tutor. Here, we disambiguate the role of tutor experience and development in neural sequence formation by delaying exposure to a tutor. Using functional calcium imaging, we observe neural sequences in the absence of tutoring, demonstrating that tutor experience is not necessary for the formation of sequences. However, after exposure to a tutor, pre-existing sequences can become tightly associated with new song syllables. Since we delayed tutoring, only half our birds learned new syllables following tutor exposure. The birds that failed to learn were the birds in which pre-tutoring neural sequences were most 'crystallized,' that is, already tightly associated with their (untutored) song.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily L Mackevicius
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MITCambridgeUnited States
| | - Shijie Gu
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MITCambridgeUnited States
| | - Natalia I Denisenko
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MITCambridgeUnited States
| | - Michale S Fee
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MITCambridgeUnited States
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15
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Rivera M, Edwards JA, Hauber ME, Woolley SMN. Machine learning and statistical classification of birdsong link vocal acoustic features with phylogeny. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7076. [PMID: 37127781 PMCID: PMC10151348 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33825-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Birdsong is a longstanding model system for studying evolution and biodiversity. Here, we collected and analyzed high quality song recordings from seven species in the family Estrildidae. We measured the acoustic features of syllables and then used dimensionality reduction and machine learning classifiers to identify features that accurately assigned syllables to species. Species differences were captured by the first 3 principal components, corresponding to basic frequency, power distribution, and spectrotemporal features. We then identified the measured features underlying classification accuracy. We found that fundamental frequency, mean frequency, spectral flatness, and syllable duration were the most informative features for species identification. Next, we tested whether specific acoustic features of species' songs predicted phylogenetic distance. We found significant phylogenetic signal in syllable frequency features, but not in power distribution or spectrotemporal features. Results suggest that frequency features are more constrained by species' genetics than are other features, and are the best signal features for identifying species from song recordings. The absence of phylogenetic signal in power distribution and spectrotemporal features suggests that these song features are labile, reflecting learning processes and individual recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moises Rivera
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind, Brain, and Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jacob A Edwards
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind, Brain, and Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Sarah M N Woolley
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind, Brain, and Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
- Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University, Jerome L. Greene Science Center, 3227 Broadway, L3.028, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
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16
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Bessho C, Yamada S, Tanida T, Tanaka M. FoxP2 protein decreases at a specific region in the chick midbrain after hatching. Neurosci Lett 2023; 800:137119. [PMID: 36773927 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137119] [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: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Forkhead-box subclass P member 2 (FOXP2/FoxP2) protein, a transcription factor, regulates the development of certain brain functions, including human speech and animal vocalization. Although rapid progress has been made in demonstrating a relationship between FoxP2 expression in the brain and vocalization of the zebra finch, a typical vocal learner, the relationship in avian vocal non-learners, including chickens remains elusive. Because the midbrain plays a key role in innate vocalization development, we analyzed the FoxP2 protein in the midbrain of chicks, which do not cheep before hatching but cheep and call after hatching. Western blot analyses showed a significant reduction in FoxP2 protein in the chick midbrain after hatching compared with the findings before hatching. Quantitative immunohistochemistry revealed that FoxP2-immunoreactive (ir) cells significantly decreased at the stratum gris fibrosum (SGFS) of the optic tectum in the chick midbrain after hatching compared with the findings before hatching. These findings support the notion that FoxP2-ir cell numbers decrease at a specific region in the midbrain after hatching may be involved in innate vocalization of avian vocal non-learners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chikafusa Bessho
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Shunji Yamada
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takashi Tanida
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan; Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masaki Tanaka
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
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17
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Stamps JA, Luttbeg B. Sensitive Period Diversity: Insights From Evolutionary Models. THE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1086/722637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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18
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Forebrain nuclei linked to woodpecker territorial drum displays mirror those that enable vocal learning in songbirds. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001751. [PMID: 36125990 PMCID: PMC9488818 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal learning is thought to have evolved in 3 orders of birds (songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds), with each showing similar brain regions that have comparable gene expression specializations relative to the surrounding forebrain motor circuitry. Here, we searched for signatures of these same gene expression specializations in previously uncharacterized brains of 7 assumed vocal non-learning bird lineages across the early branches of the avian family tree. Our findings using a conserved marker for the song system found little evidence of specializations in these taxa, except for woodpeckers. Instead, woodpeckers possessed forebrain regions that were anatomically similar to the pallial song nuclei of vocal learning birds. Field studies of free-living downy woodpeckers revealed that these brain nuclei showed increased expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) when males produce their iconic drum displays, the elaborate bill-hammering behavior that individuals use to compete for territories, much like birdsong. However, these specialized areas did not show increased IEG expression with vocalization or flight. We further confirmed that other woodpecker species contain these brain nuclei, suggesting that these brain regions are a common feature of the woodpecker brain. We therefore hypothesize that ancient forebrain nuclei for refined motor control may have given rise to not only the song control systems of vocal learning birds, but also the drumming system of woodpeckers. Vocal learning is thought to have evolved in three orders of birds (songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds). This study shows that woodpeckers have evolved a set of brain nuclei to mediate their drum displays, and these regions closely mirror those that underlie song learning in songbirds.
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19
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McGregor JN, Grassler AL, Jaffe PI, Jacob AL, Brainard MS, Sober SJ. Shared mechanisms of auditory and non-auditory vocal learning in the songbird brain. eLife 2022; 11:75691. [PMID: 36107757 PMCID: PMC9522248 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Songbirds and humans share the ability to adaptively modify their vocalizations based on sensory feedback. Prior studies have focused primarily on the role that auditory feedback plays in shaping vocal output throughout life. In contrast, it is unclear how non-auditory information drives vocal plasticity. Here, we first used a reinforcement learning paradigm to establish that somatosensory feedback (cutaneous electrical stimulation) can drive vocal learning in adult songbirds. We then assessed the role of a songbird basal ganglia thalamocortical pathway critical to auditory vocal learning in this novel form of vocal plasticity. We found that both this circuit and its dopaminergic inputs are necessary for non-auditory vocal learning, demonstrating that this pathway is critical for guiding adaptive vocal changes based on both auditory and somatosensory signals. The ability of this circuit to use both auditory and somatosensory information to guide vocal learning may reflect a general principle for the neural systems that support vocal plasticity across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- James N McGregor
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, United States
| | | | - Paul I Jaffe
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | | | - Michael S Brainard
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Samuel J Sober
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States
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20
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Colquitt BM. Organizational Conservation and Flexibility in the Evolution of Birdsong and Avian Motor Control. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2022; 97:255-264. [PMID: 35644127 DOI: 10.1159/000525019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Birds and mammals have independently evolved complex behavioral and cognitive capabilities yet have markedly different brain structures. An open question is to what extent, despite these differences in anatomy, birds and mammals have evolved similar neural solutions to complex motor control and at what level of organization these similarities might lie. Courtship song in songbirds, a learned motor skill that is similar to the fine motor skills of many mammals including human speech, provides a powerful system in which to study the links connecting the development and evolution of cells, circuits, and behavior. Until recently, obtaining cellular-resolution views of the specialized neural circuitry that subserves birdsong was impossible due to a lack of molecular tools for songbirds. However, the ongoing revolution in cellular profiling and genomics offers unprecedented opportunities for molecular analysis in organisms that lack a traditional genetic infrastructure but have tractable, well-defined behaviors. Here, I describe recent efforts to understand the evolutionary relationships between birdsong control circuitry and mammalian neocortical circuitry using new approaches to measure gene expression in single cells. These results, combined with foundational work relating avian and mammalian brains at a range of biological levels, present an emerging view that amniote pallium evolution is a story of diverse neural circuit architectures employing conserved neuronal elements within a conserved topological framework. This view suggests that one locus of pallial neural circuit evolution lies at the intersection between the gene regulatory programs that regulate regional patterning and those that specify functional identity. Modifications to this intersection may underlie the evolution of pallial motor control in birds in general and to the evolutionary and developmental relationships of these circuits to the avian pallial amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley M Colquitt
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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21
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Medina CA, Vargas E, Munger SJ, Miller JE. Vocal changes in a zebra finch model of Parkinson's disease characterized by alpha-synuclein overexpression in the song-dedicated anterior forebrain pathway. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265604. [PMID: 35507553 PMCID: PMC9067653 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Deterioration in the quality of a person's voice and speech is an early marker of Parkinson's disease (PD). In humans, the neural circuit that supports vocal motor control consists of a cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortico loop. The basal ganglia regions, striatum and globus pallidus, in this loop play a role in modulating the acoustic features of vocal behavior such as loudness, pitch, and articulatory rate. In PD, this area is implicated in pathogenesis. In animal models of PD, the accumulation of toxic aggregates containing the neuronal protein alpha-synuclein (αsyn) in the midbrain and striatum result in limb and vocal motor impairments. It has been challenging to study vocal impairments given the lack of well-defined cortico-basal ganglia circuitry for vocalization in rodent models. Furthermore, whether deterioration of voice quality early in PD is a direct result of αsyn-induced neuropathology is not yet known. Here, we take advantage of the well-characterized vocal circuits of the adult male zebra finch songbird to experimentally target a song-dedicated pathway, the anterior forebrain pathway, using an adeno-associated virus expressing the human wild-type αsyn gene, SNCA. We found that overexpression of αsyn in this pathway coincides with higher levels of insoluble, monomeric αsyn compared to control finches. Impairments in song production were also detected along with shorter and poorer quality syllables, which are the most basic unit of song. These vocal changes are similar to the vocal abnormalities observed in individuals with PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesar A. Medina
- Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United State of America
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Eddie Vargas
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Stephanie J. Munger
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Julie E. Miller
- Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United State of America
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
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22
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Bottjer SW, Le Moing C, Li E, Yuan R. Responses to Song Playback Differ in Sleeping versus Anesthetized Songbirds. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0015-22.2022. [PMID: 35545423 PMCID: PMC9131720 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0015-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal learning in songbirds is mediated by a highly localized system of interconnected forebrain regions, including recurrent loops that traverse the cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus. This brain-behavior system provides a powerful model for elucidating mechanisms of vocal learning, with implications for learning speech in human infants, as well as for advancing our understanding of skill learning in general. A long history of experiments in this area has tested neural responses to playback of different song stimuli in anesthetized birds at different stages of vocal development. These studies have demonstrated selectivity for different song types that provide neural signatures of learning. In contrast to the ease of obtaining responses to song playback in anesthetized birds, song-evoked responses in awake birds are greatly reduced or absent, indicating that behavioral state is an important determinant of neural responsivity. Song-evoked responses can be elicited during sleep as well as anesthesia, and the selectivity of responses to song playback in adult birds is highly similar between anesthetized and sleeping states, encouraging the idea that anesthesia and sleep are similar. In contrast to that idea, we report evidence that cortical responses to song playback in juvenile zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) differ greatly between sleep and urethane anesthesia. This finding indicates that behavioral states differ in sleep versus anesthesia and raises questions about relationships between developmental changes in sleep activity, selectivity for different song types, and the neural substrate for vocal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah W Bottjer
- Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Chloé Le Moing
- Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Ellysia Li
- Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Rachel Yuan
- Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
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23
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Zheng DJ, Okobi DE, Shu R, Agrawal R, Smith SK, Long MA, Phelps SM. Mapping the vocal circuitry of Alston's singing mouse with pseudorabies virus. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:2075-2099. [PMID: 35385140 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Vocalizations are often elaborate, rhythmically structured behaviors. Vocal motor patterns require close coordination of neural circuits governing the muscles of the larynx, jaw, and respiratory system. In the elaborate vocalization of Alston's singing mouse (Scotinomys teguina) each note of its rapid, frequency-modulated trill is accompanied by equally rapid modulation of breath and gape. To elucidate the neural circuitry underlying this behavior, we introduced the polysynaptic retrograde neuronal tracer pseudorabies virus (PRV) into the cricothyroid and digastricus muscles, which control frequency modulation and jaw opening, respectively. Each virus singly labels ipsilateral motoneurons (nucleus ambiguus for cricothyroid, and motor trigeminal nucleus for digastricus). We find that the two isogenic viruses heavily and bilaterally colabel neurons in the gigantocellular reticular formation, a putative central pattern generator. The viruses also show strong colabeling in compartments of the midbrain including the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray and the parabrachial nucleus, two structures strongly implicated in vocalizations. In the forebrain, regions important to social cognition and energy balance both exhibit extensive colabeling. This includes the paraventricular and arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus, the lateral hypothalamus, preoptic area, extended amygdala, central amygdala, and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Finally, we find doubly labeled neurons in M1 motor cortex previously described as laryngeal, as well as in the prelimbic cortex, which indicate these cortical regions play a role in vocal production. The progress of both viruses is broadly consistent with vertebrate-general patterns of vocal circuitry, as well as with circuit models derived from primate literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Jiang Zheng
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Daniel E Okobi
- Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Ryan Shu
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Rania Agrawal
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Samantha K Smith
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Michael A Long
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Otolaryngology, Langone Medical Center, New York University, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Steven M Phelps
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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24
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Biegler MT, Fedrigo O, Collier P, Mountcastle J, Haase B, Tilgner HU, Jarvis ED. Induction of an immortalized songbird cell line allows for gene characterization and knockout by CRISPR-Cas9. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4369. [PMID: 35288582 PMCID: PMC8921232 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07434-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The zebra finch is one of the most commonly studied songbirds in biology, particularly in genomics, neuroscience and vocal communication. However, this species lacks a robust cell line for molecular biology research and reagent optimization. We generated a cell line, designated CFS414, from zebra finch embryonic fibroblasts using the SV40 large and small T antigens. This cell line demonstrates an improvement over previous songbird cell lines through continuous and density-independent growth, allowing for indefinite culture and monoclonal line derivation. Cytogenetic, genomic, and transcriptomic profiling established the provenance of this cell line and identified the expression of genes relevant to ongoing songbird research. Using this cell line, we disrupted endogenous gene sequences using S.aureus Cas9 and confirmed a stress-dependent localization response of a song system specialized gene, SAP30L. The utility of CFS414 cells enhances the comprehensive molecular potential of the zebra finch and validates cell immortalization strategies in a songbird species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Biegler
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
| | - Olivier Fedrigo
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Paul Collier
- Center for Neurogenetics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weil Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | | | - Bettina Haase
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Hagen U Tilgner
- Center for Neurogenetics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weil Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Erich D Jarvis
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
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25
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Vocal Learning and Behaviors in Birds and Human Bilinguals: Parallels, Divergences and Directions for Research. LANGUAGES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/languages7010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Comparisons between the communication systems of humans and animals are instrumental in contextualizing speech and language into an evolutionary and biological framework and for illuminating mechanisms of human communication. As a complement to previous work that compares developmental vocal learning and use among humans and songbirds, in this article we highlight phenomena associated with vocal learning subsequent to the development of primary vocalizations (i.e., the primary language (L1) in humans and the primary song (S1) in songbirds). By framing avian “second-song” (S2) learning and use within the human second-language (L2) context, we lay the groundwork for a scientifically-rich dialogue between disciplines. We begin by summarizing basic birdsong research, focusing on how songs are learned and on constraints on learning. We then consider commonalities in vocal learning across humans and birds, in particular the timing and neural mechanisms of learning, variability of input, and variability of outcomes. For S2 and L2 learning outcomes, we address the respective roles of age, entrenchment, and social interactions. We proceed to orient current and future birdsong inquiry around foundational features of human bilingualism: L1 effects on the L2, L1 attrition, and L1<–>L2 switching. Throughout, we highlight characteristics that are shared across species as well as the need for caution in interpreting birdsong research. Thus, from multiple instructive perspectives, our interdisciplinary dialogue sheds light on biological and experiential principles of L2 acquisition that are informed by birdsong research, and leverages well-studied characteristics of bilingualism in order to clarify, contextualize, and further explore S2 learning and use in songbirds.
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26
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Pendergraft LT, Marzluff JM, Cross DJ, Shimizu T, Templeton CN. American Crow Brain Activity in Response to Conspecific Vocalizations Changes When Food Is Present. Front Physiol 2021; 12:766345. [PMID: 34867472 PMCID: PMC8637333 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.766345] [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: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interaction among animals can occur under many contexts, such as during foraging. Our knowledge of the regions within an avian brain associated with social interaction is limited to the regions activated by a single context or sensory modality. We used 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) to examine American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) brain activity in response to conditions associated with communal feeding. Using a paired approach, we exposed crows to either a visual stimulus (the sight of food), an audio stimulus (the sound of conspecifics vocalizing while foraging) or both audio/visual stimuli presented simultaneously and compared to their brain activity in response to a control stimulus (an empty stage). We found two regions, the nucleus taenia of the amygdala (TnA) and a medial portion of the caudal nidopallium, that showed increased activity in response to the multimodal combination of stimuli but not in response to either stimulus when presented unimodally. We also found significantly increased activity in the lateral septum and medially within the nidopallium in response to both the audio-only and the combined audio/visual stimuli. We did not find any differences in activation in response to the visual stimulus by itself. We discuss how these regions may be involved in the processing of multimodal stimuli in the context of social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- LomaJohn T Pendergraft
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - John M Marzluff
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Donna J Cross
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Toru Shimizu
- Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
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27
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Sankar R, Rougier NP, Leblois A. Computational benefits of structural plasticity, illustrated in songbirds. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:1183-1196. [PMID: 34801257 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.033] [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: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The plasticity of nervous systems allows animals to quickly adapt to a changing environment. In particular, the structural plasticity of brain networks is often critical to the development of the central nervous system and the acquisition of complex behaviors. As an example, structural plasticity is central to the development of song-related brain circuits and may be critical for song acquisition in juvenile songbirds. Here, we review current evidences for structural plasticity and their significance from a computational point of view. We start by reviewing evidence for structural plasticity across species and categorizing them along the spatial axes as well as the along the time course during development. We introduce the vocal learning circuitry in zebra finches, as a useful example of structural plasticity, and use this specific case to explore the possible contributions of structural plasticity to computational models. Finally, we discuss current modeling studies incorporating structural plasticity and unexplored questions which are raised by such models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remya Sankar
- Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, Talence, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS, UMR 5293, France; LaBRI, Université de Bordeaux, INP, CNRS, UMR 5800, Talence, France
| | - Nicolas P Rougier
- Inria Bordeaux Sud-Ouest, Talence, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS, UMR 5293, France; LaBRI, Université de Bordeaux, INP, CNRS, UMR 5800, Talence, France
| | - Arthur Leblois
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS, UMR 5293, France.
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28
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Wood AN. New roles for dopamine in motor skill acquisition: lessons from primates, rodents, and songbirds. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:2361-2374. [PMID: 33978497 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00648.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor learning is a core aspect of human life and appears to be ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom. Dopamine, a neuromodulator with a multifaceted role in synaptic plasticity, may be a key signaling molecule for motor skill learning. Though typically studied in the context of reward-based associative learning, dopamine appears to be necessary for some types of motor learning. Mesencephalic dopamine structures are highly conserved among vertebrates, as are some of their primary targets within the basal ganglia, a subcortical circuit important for motor learning and motor control. With a focus on the benefits of cross-species comparisons, this review examines how "model-free" and "model-based" computational frameworks for understanding dopamine's role in associative learning may be applied to motor learning. The hypotheses that dopamine could drive motor learning either by functioning as a reward prediction error, through passive facilitating of normal basal ganglia activity, or through other mechanisms are examined in light of new studies using humans, rodents, and songbirds. Additionally, new paradigms that could enhance our understanding of dopamine's role in motor learning by bridging the gap between the theoretical literature on motor learning in humans and other species are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- A N Wood
- Department of Biology and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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29
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Chen Y, Sakata JT. Norepinephrine in the avian auditory cortex enhances developmental song learning. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:2397-2407. [PMID: 33978494 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00612.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory learning during critical periods in development has lasting effects on behavior. Neuromodulators like dopamine and norepinephrine (NE) have been implicated in various forms of sensory learning, but little is known about their contribution to sensory learning during critical periods. Songbirds like the zebra finch communicate with each other using vocal signals (e.g., songs) that are learned during a critical period in development, and the first crucial step in song learning is memorizing the sound of an adult conspecific's (tutor's) song. Here, we analyzed the extent to which NE modulates the auditory learning of a tutor's song and the fidelity of song imitation. Specifically, we paired infusions of NE or vehicle into the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) with brief epochs of song tutoring. We analyzed the effect of NE in juvenile zebra finches that had or had not previously been exposed to song. Regardless of previous exposure to song, juveniles that received NE infusions into NCM during song tutoring produced songs that were more acoustically similar to the tutor song and that incorporated more elements of the tutor song than juveniles with control infusions. These data support the notion that NE can regulate the formation of sensory memories that shape the development of vocal behaviors that are used throughout an organism's life.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although norepinephrine (NE) has been implicated in various forms of sensory learning, little is known about its contribution to sensory learning during critical periods in development. We reveal that pairing infusions of NE into the avian secondary auditory cortex with brief epochs of song tutoring significantly enhances auditory learning during the critical period for vocal learning. These data highlight the lasting impact of NE on sensory systems, cognition, and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yining Chen
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jon T Sakata
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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30
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Chen J, Markowitz JE, Lilascharoen V, Taylor S, Sheurpukdi P, Keller JA, Jensen JR, Lim BK, Datta SR, Stowers L. Flexible scaling and persistence of social vocal communication. Nature 2021; 593:108-113. [PMID: 33790464 PMCID: PMC9153763 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03403-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Innate vocal sounds such as laughing, screaming or crying convey one's feelings to others. In many species, including humans, scaling the amplitude and duration of vocalizations is essential for effective social communication1-3. In mice, female scent triggers male mice to emit innate courtship ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs)4,5. However, whether mice flexibly scale their vocalizations and how neural circuits are structured to generate flexibility remain largely unknown. Here we identify mouse neurons from the lateral preoptic area (LPOA) that express oestrogen receptor 1 (LPOAESR1 neurons) and, when activated, elicit the complete repertoire of USV syllables emitted during natural courtship. Neural anatomy and functional data reveal a two-step, di-synaptic circuit motif in which primary long-range inhibitory LPOAESR1 neurons relieve a clamp of local periaqueductal grey (PAG) inhibition, enabling excitatory PAG USV-gating neurons to trigger vocalizations. We find that social context shapes a wide range of USV amplitudes and bout durations. This variability is absent when PAG neurons are stimulated directly; PAG-evoked vocalizations are time-locked to neural activity and stereotypically loud. By contrast, increasing the activity of LPOAESR1 neurons scales the amplitude of vocalizations, and delaying the recovery of the inhibition clamp prolongs USV bouts. Thus, the LPOA disinhibition motif contributes to flexible loudness and the duration and persistence of bouts, which are key aspects of effective vocal social communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Varoth Lilascharoen
- Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sandra Taylor
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Pete Sheurpukdi
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jason A Keller
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | | | - Byung Kook Lim
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Lisa Stowers
- Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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31
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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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32
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Diddens J, Coussement L, Frankl-Vilches C, Majumdar G, Steyaert S, Ter Haar SM, Galle J, De Meester E, De Keulenaer S, Van Criekinge W, Cornil CA, Balthazart J, Van Der Linden A, De Meyer T, Vanden Berghe W. DNA Methylation Regulates Transcription Factor-Specific Neurodevelopmental but Not Sexually Dimorphic Gene Expression Dynamics in Zebra Finch Telencephalon. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:583555. [PMID: 33816458 PMCID: PMC8017237 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.583555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Song learning in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) is a prototypical example of a complex learned behavior, yet knowledge of the underlying molecular processes is limited. Therefore, we characterized transcriptomic (RNA-sequencing) and epigenomic (RRBS, reduced representation bisulfite sequencing; immunofluorescence) dynamics in matched zebra finch telencephalon samples of both sexes from 1 day post hatching (1 dph) to adulthood, spanning the critical period for song learning (20 and 65 dph). We identified extensive transcriptional neurodevelopmental changes during postnatal telencephalon development. DNA methylation was very low, yet increased over time, particularly in song control nuclei. Only a small fraction of the massive differential expression in the developing zebra finch telencephalon could be explained by differential CpG and CpH DNA methylation. However, a strong association between DNA methylation and age-dependent gene expression was found for various transcription factors (i.e., OTX2, AR, and FOS) involved in neurodevelopment. Incomplete dosage compensation, independent of DNA methylation, was found to be largely responsible for sexually dimorphic gene expression, with dosage compensation increasing throughout life. In conclusion, our results indicate that DNA methylation regulates neurodevelopmental gene expression dynamics through steering transcription factor activity, but does not explain sexually dimorphic gene expression patterns in zebra finch telencephalon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolien Diddens
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry, Proteomics and Epigenetic Signaling (PPES), Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Louis Coussement
- Biobix: Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics, Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modeling, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Carolina Frankl-Vilches
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Gaurav Majumdar
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sandra Steyaert
- Biobix: Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics, Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modeling, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sita M Ter Haar
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neuroscience, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Galle
- Biobix: Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics, Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modeling, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ellen De Meester
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sarah De Keulenaer
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wim Van Criekinge
- Biobix: Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics, Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modeling, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Charlotte A Cornil
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neuroscience, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neuroscience, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Annemie Van Der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Tim De Meyer
- Biobix: Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics, Department of Data Analysis and Mathematical Modeling, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wim Vanden Berghe
- Laboratory of Protein Chemistry, Proteomics and Epigenetic Signaling (PPES), Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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33
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Colquitt BM, Merullo DP, Konopka G, Roberts TF, Brainard MS. Cellular transcriptomics reveals evolutionary identities of songbird vocal circuits. Science 2021; 371:371/6530/eabd9704. [PMID: 33574185 DOI: 10.1126/science.abd9704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Birds display advanced behaviors, including vocal learning and problem-solving, yet lack a layered neocortex, a structure associated with complex behavior in mammals. To determine whether these behavioral similarities result from shared or distinct neural circuits, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize the neuronal repertoire of the songbird song motor pathway. Glutamatergic vocal neurons had considerable transcriptional similarity to neocortical projection neurons; however, they displayed regulatory gene expression patterns more closely related to neurons in the ventral pallium. Moreover, while γ-aminobutyric acid-releasing neurons in this pathway appeared homologous to those in mammals and other amniotes, the most abundant avian class is largely absent in the neocortex. These data suggest that songbird vocal circuits and the mammalian neocortex have distinct developmental origins yet contain transcriptionally similar neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley M Colquitt
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA.,Departments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Devin P Merullo
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Genevieve Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
| | - Todd F Roberts
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
| | - Michael S Brainard
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA. .,Departments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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34
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Fishbein AR, Prior NH, Brown JA, Ball GF, Dooling RJ. Discrimination of natural acoustic variation in vocal signals. Sci Rep 2021; 11:916. [PMID: 33441711 PMCID: PMC7807010 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79641-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of acoustic communication often focus on the categories and units of vocalizations, but subtle variation also occurs in how these signals are uttered. In human speech, it is not only phonemes and words that carry information but also the timbre, intonation, and stress of how speech sounds are delivered (often referred to as "paralinguistic content"). In non-human animals, variation across utterances of vocal signals also carries behaviorally relevant information across taxa. However, the discriminability of these cues has been rarely tested in a psychophysical paradigm. Here, we focus on acoustic communication in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), a songbird species in which the male produces a single stereotyped motif repeatedly in song bouts. These motif renditions, like the song repetitions of many birds, sound very similar to the casual human listener. In this study, we show that zebra finches can easily discriminate between the renditions, even at the level of single song syllables, much as humans can discriminate renditions of speech sounds. These results support the notion that sensitivity to fine acoustic details may be a primary channel of information in zebra finch song, as well as a shared, foundational property of vocal communication systems across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R. Fishbein
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Biology-Psychology Bldg., 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742 USA ,grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
| | - Nora H. Prior
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Biology-Psychology Bldg., 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742 USA ,grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
| | - Jane A. Brown
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Biology-Psychology Bldg., 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742 USA
| | - Gregory F. Ball
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Biology-Psychology Bldg., 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742 USA ,grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
| | - Robert J. Dooling
- grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Biology-Psychology Bldg., 4094 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20742 USA ,grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
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35
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Roth RH, Ding JB. From Neurons to Cognition: Technologies for Precise Recording of Neural Activity Underlying Behavior. BME FRONTIERS 2020; 2020:7190517. [PMID: 37849967 PMCID: PMC10521756 DOI: 10.34133/2020/7190517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how brain activity encodes information and controls behavior is a long-standing question in neuroscience. This complex problem requires converging efforts from neuroscience and engineering, including technological solutions to perform high-precision and large-scale recordings of neuronal activity in vivo as well as unbiased methods to reliably measure and quantify behavior. Thanks to advances in genetics, molecular biology, engineering, and neuroscience, in recent decades, a variety of optical imaging and electrophysiological approaches for recording neuronal activity in awake animals have been developed and widely applied in the field. Moreover, sophisticated computer vision and machine learning algorithms have been developed to analyze animal behavior. In this review, we provide an overview of the current state of technology for neuronal recordings with a focus on optical and electrophysiological methods in rodents. In addition, we discuss areas that future technological development will need to cover in order to further our understanding of the neural activity underlying behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard H Roth
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jun B Ding
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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36
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Obeid D, Zavatone-Veth JA, Pehlevan C. Statistical structure of the trial-to-trial timing variability in synfire chains. Phys Rev E 2020; 102:052406. [PMID: 33327145 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.102.052406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Timing and its variability are crucial for behavior. Consequently, neural circuits that take part in the control of timing and in the measurement of temporal intervals have been the subject of much research. Here we provide an analytical and computational account of the temporal variability in what is perhaps the most basic model of a timing circuit-the synfire chain. First we study the statistical structure of trial-to-trial timing variability in a reduced but analytically tractable model: a chain of single integrate-and-fire neurons. We show that this circuit's variability is well described by a generative model consisting of local, global, and jitter components. We relate each of these components to distinct neural mechanisms in the model. Next we establish in simulations that these results carry over to a noisy homogeneous synfire chain. Finally, motivated by the fact that a synfire chain is thought to underlie the circuit that takes part in the control and timing of the zebra finch song, we present simulations of a biologically realistic synfire chain model of the zebra finch timekeeping circuit. We find the structure of trial-to-trial timing variability to be consistent with our previous findings and to agree with experimental observations of the song's temporal variability. Our study therefore provides a possible neuronal account of behavioral variability in zebra finches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina Obeid
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | | | - Cengiz Pehlevan
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.,Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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37
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Palmer SE, Wright BD, Doupe AJ, Kao MH. Variable but not random: temporal pattern coding in a songbird brain area necessary for song modification. J Neurophysiol 2020; 125:540-555. [PMID: 33296616 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00034.2019] [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] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Practice of a complex motor gesture involves motor exploration to attain a better match to target, but little is known about the neural code for such exploration. We examine spiking in a premotor area of the songbird brain critical for song modification and quantify correlations between spiking and time in the motor sequence. While isolated spikes code for time in song during performance of song to a female bird, extended strings of spiking and silence, particularly bursts, code for time in song during undirected (solo) singing, or "practice." Bursts code for particular times in song with more information than individual spikes, and this spike-spike synergy is significantly higher during undirected singing. The observed pattern information cannot be accounted for by a Poisson model with a matched time-varying rate, indicating that the precise timing of spikes in both bursts in undirected singing and isolated spikes in directed singing code for song with a temporal code. Temporal coding during practice supports the hypothesis that lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium neurons actively guide song modification at local instances in time.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This paper shows that bursts of spikes in the songbird brain during practice carry information about the output motor pattern. The brain's code for song changes with social context, in performance versus practice. Synergistic combinations of spiking and silence code for time in the bird's song. This is one of the first uses of information theory to quantify neural information about a motor output. This activity may guide changes to the song.
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Affiliation(s)
- S E Palmer
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Department of Physics, Committee on Computational Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - B D Wright
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Department of Physics, Committee on Computational Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - A J Doupe
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Department of Physics, Committee on Computational Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - M H Kao
- Department of Biology & Program in Neuroscience, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
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38
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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.
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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:
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39
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James LS, Davies R, Mori C, Wada K, Sakata JT. Manipulations of sensory experiences during development reveal mechanisms underlying vocal learning biases in zebra finches. Dev Neurobiol 2020; 80:132-146. [PMID: 32330360 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Biological predispositions in learning can bias and constrain the cultural evolution of social and communicative behaviors (e.g., speech and birdsong), and lead to the emergence of behavioral and cultural "universals." For example, surveys of laboratory and wild populations of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) document consistent patterning of vocal elements ("syllables") with respect to their acoustic properties (e.g., duration, mean frequency). Furthermore, such universal patterns are also produced by birds that are experimentally tutored with songs containing randomly sequenced syllables ("tutored birds"). Despite extensive demonstrations of learning biases, much remains to be uncovered about the nature of biological predispositions that bias song learning and production in songbirds. Here, we examined the degree to which "innate" auditory templates and/or biases in vocal motor production contribute to vocal learning biases and production in zebra finches. Such contributions can be revealed by examining acoustic patterns in the songs of birds raised without sensory exposure to song ("untutored birds") or of birds that are unable to hear from early in development ("early-deafened birds"). We observed that untutored zebra finches and early-deafened zebra finches produce songs with positional variation in some acoustic features (e.g., mean frequency) that resemble universal patterns observed in tutored birds. Similar to tutored birds, early-deafened birds also produced song motifs with alternation in acoustic features across adjacent syllables. That universal acoustic patterns are observed in the songs of both untutored and early-deafened birds highlights the contribution motor production biases to the emergence of universals in culturally transmitted behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan S James
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Research in Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Ronald Davies
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Chihiro Mori
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Wada
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Jon T Sakata
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Research in Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Center for Studies of Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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40
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Dong M, Vicario DS. Statistical learning of transition patterns in the songbird auditory forebrain. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7848. [PMID: 32398864 PMCID: PMC7217825 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64671-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Statistical learning of transition patterns between sounds—a striking capability of the auditory system—plays an essential role in animals’ survival (e.g., detect deviant sounds that signal danger). However, the neural mechanisms underlying this capability are still not fully understood. We recorded extracellular multi-unit and single-unit activity in the auditory forebrain of awake male zebra finches while presenting rare repetitions of a single sound in a long sequence of sounds (canary and zebra finch song syllables) patterned in either an alternating or random order at different inter-stimulus intervals (ISI). When preceding stimuli were regularly alternating (alternating condition), a repeated stimulus violated the preceding transition pattern and was a deviant. When preceding stimuli were in random order (control condition), a repeated stimulus did not violate any regularities and was not a deviant. At all ISIs tested (1 s, 3 s, or jittered at 0.8–1.2 s), deviant repetition enhanced neural responses in the alternating condition in a secondary auditory area (caudomedial nidopallium, NCM) but not in the primary auditory area (Field L2); in contrast, repetition suppressed responses in the control condition in both Field L2 and NCM. When stimuli were presented in the classical oddball paradigm at jittered ISI (0.8–1.2 s), neural responses in both NCM and Field L2 were stronger when a stimulus occurred as deviant with low probability than when the same stimulus occurred as standard with high probability. Together, these results demonstrate: (1) classical oddball effect exists even when ISI is jittered and the onset of a stimulus is not fully predictable; (2) neurons in NCM can learn transition patterns between sounds at multiple ISIs and detect violation of these transition patterns; (3) sensitivity to deviant sounds increases from Field L2 to NCM in the songbird auditory forebrain. Further studies using the current paradigms may help us understand the neural substrate of statistical learning and even speech comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingwen Dong
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States.
| | - David S Vicario
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
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41
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Hamaide J, Lukacova K, Orije J, Keliris GA, Verhoye M, Van der Linden A. In vivo assessment of the neural substrate linked with vocal imitation accuracy. eLife 2020; 9:49941. [PMID: 32196456 PMCID: PMC7083600 DOI: 10.7554/elife.49941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human speech and bird song are acoustically complex communication signals that are learned by imitation during a sensitive period early in life. Although the brain areas indispensable for speech and song learning are known, the neural circuits important for enhanced or reduced vocal performance remain unclear. By combining in vivo structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging with song analyses in juvenile male zebra finches during song learning and beyond, we reveal that song imitation accuracy correlates with the structural architecture of four distinct brain areas, none of which pertain to the song control system. Furthermore, the structural properties of a secondary auditory area in the left hemisphere, are capable to predict future song copying accuracy, already at the earliest stages of learning, before initiating vocal practicing. These findings appoint novel brain regions important for song learning outcome and inform that ultimate performance in part depends on factors experienced before vocal practicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Hamaide
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Kristina Lukacova
- Centre of Biosciences, Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jasmien Orije
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Georgios A Keliris
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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42
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High-fidelity continuum modeling predicts avian voiced sound production. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:4718-4723. [PMID: 32054784 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922147117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Voiced sound production is the primary form of acoustic communication in terrestrial vertebrates, particularly birds and mammals, including humans. Developing a causal physics-based model that ultimately links descending vocal motor control to tissue vibration and sound requires embodied approaches that include realistic representations of voice physiology. Here, we first implement and then experimentally test a high-fidelity three-dimensional (3D) continuum model for voiced sound production in birds. Driven by individual-based physiologically quantifiable inputs, combined with noninvasive inverse methods for tissue material parameterization, our model accurately predicts observed key vibratory and acoustic performance traits. These results demonstrate that realistic models lead to accurate predictions and support the continuum model approach as a critical tool toward a causal model of voiced sound production.
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43
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Isola GR, Vochin A, Sakata JT. Manipulations of inhibition in cortical circuitry differentially affect spectral and temporal features of Bengalese finch song. J Neurophysiol 2020; 123:815-830. [PMID: 31967928 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00142.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The interplay between inhibition and excitation can regulate behavioral expression and control, including the expression of communicative behaviors like birdsong. Computational models postulate varying degrees to which inhibition within vocal motor circuitry influences birdsong, but few studies have tested these models by manipulating inhibition. Here we enhanced and attenuated inhibition in the cortical nucleus HVC (used as proper name) of Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata var. domestica). Enhancement of inhibition (with muscimol) in HVC dose-dependently reduced the amount of song produced. Infusions of higher concentrations of muscimol caused some birds to produce spectrally degraded songs, whereas infusions of lower doses of muscimol led to the production of relatively normal (nondegraded) songs. However, the spectral and temporal structures of these nondegraded songs were significantly different from songs produced under control conditions. In particular, muscimol infusions decreased the frequency and amplitude of syllables, increased various measures of acoustic entropy, and increased the variability of syllable structure. Muscimol also increased sequence durations and the variability of syllable timing and syllable sequencing. Attenuation of inhibition (with bicuculline) in HVC led to changes to song distinct from and often opposite to enhancing inhibition. For example, in contrast to muscimol, bicuculline infusions increased syllable amplitude, frequency, and duration and decreased the variability of acoustic features. However, like muscimol, bicuculline increased the variability of syllable sequencing. These data highlight the importance of inhibition to the production of stereotyped vocalizations and demonstrate that changes to neural dynamics within cortical circuitry can differentially affect spectral and temporal features of song.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We reveal that manipulations of inhibition in the cortical nucleus HVC affect the structure, timing, and sequencing of syllables in Bengalese finch song. Enhancing and blocking inhibition led to opposite changes to the acoustic structure and timing of vocalizations, but both caused similar changes to vocal sequencing. These data provide support for computational models of song control but also motivate refinement of existing models to account for differential effects on syllable structure, timing, and sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav R Isola
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Anca Vochin
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jon T Sakata
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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44
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Nadel JA, Pawelko SS, Copes-Finke D, Neidhart M, Howard CD. Lesion of striatal patches disrupts habitual behaviors and increases behavioral variability. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0224715. [PMID: 31914121 PMCID: PMC6948820 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Habits are automated behaviors that are insensitive to changes in behavioral outcomes. Habitual responding is thought to be mediated by the striatum, with medial striatum guiding goal-directed action and lateral striatum promoting habits. However, interspersed throughout the striatum are neurochemically differing subcompartments known as patches, which are characterized by distinct molecular profiles relative to the surrounding matrix tissue. These structures have been thoroughly characterized neurochemically and anatomically, but little is known regarding their function. Patches have been shown to be selectively activated during inflexible motor stereotypies elicited by stimulants, suggesting that patches may subserve habitual behaviors. To explore this possibility, we utilized transgenic mice (Sepw1 NP67) preferentially expressing Cre recombinase in striatal patch neurons to target these neurons for ablation with a virus driving Cre-dependent expression of caspase 3. Mice were then trained to press a lever for sucrose rewards on a variable interval schedule to elicit habitual responding. Mice were not impaired on the acquisition of this task, but lesioning striatal patches disrupted behavioral stability across training, and lesioned mice utilized a more goal-directed behavioral strategy during training. Similarly, when mice were forced to omit responses to receive sucrose rewards, habitual responding was impaired in lesioned mice. To rule out effects of lesion on motor behaviors, mice were then tested for impairments in motor learning on a rotarod and locomotion in an open field. We found that patch lesions partially impaired initial performance on the rotarod without modifying locomotor behaviors in open field. This work indicates that patches promote behavioral stability and habitual responding, adding to a growing literature implicating striatal patches in stimulus-response behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A. Nadel
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, United States of America
- Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, US National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sean S. Pawelko
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, United States of America
| | - Della Copes-Finke
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, United States of America
| | - Maya Neidhart
- Neuroscience Department, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, United States of America
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45
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Nieder A, Mooney R. The neurobiology of innate, volitional and learned vocalizations in mammals and birds. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190054. [PMID: 31735150 PMCID: PMC6895551 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocalization is an ancient vertebrate trait essential to many forms of communication, ranging from courtship calls to free verse. Vocalizations may be entirely innate and evoked by sexual cues or emotional state, as with many types of calls made in primates, rodents and birds; volitional, as with innate calls that, following extensive training, can be evoked by arbitrary sensory cues in non-human primates and corvid songbirds; or learned, acoustically flexible and complex, as with human speech and the courtship songs of oscine songbirds. This review compares and contrasts the neural mechanisms underlying innate, volitional and learned vocalizations, with an emphasis on functional studies in primates, rodents and songbirds. This comparison reveals both highly conserved and convergent mechanisms of vocal production in these different groups, despite their often vast phylogenetic separation. This similarity of central mechanisms for different forms of vocal production presents experimentalists with useful avenues for gaining detailed mechanistic insight into how vocalizations are employed for social and sexual signalling, and how they can be modified through experience to yield new vocal repertoires customized to the individual's social group. This article is part of the theme issue 'What can animal communication teach us about human language?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Richard Mooney
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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46
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Sakata JT, Woolley SC. Scaling the Levels of Birdsong Analysis. THE NEUROETHOLOGY OF BIRDSONG 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-34683-6_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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47
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Auditory Selectivity for Spectral Contrast in Cortical Neurons and Behavior. J Neurosci 2019; 40:1015-1027. [PMID: 31826944 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1200-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal communication relies on the ability of listeners to identify, process, and respond to vocal sounds produced by others in complex environments. To accurately recognize these signals, animals' auditory systems must robustly represent acoustic features that distinguish vocal sounds from other environmental sounds. Vocalizations typically have spectral structure; power regularly fluctuates along the frequency axis, creating spectral contrast. Spectral contrast is closely related to harmonicity, which refers to spectral power peaks occurring at integer multiples of a fundamental frequency. Although both spectral contrast and harmonicity typify natural sounds, they may differ in salience for communication behavior and engage distinct neural mechanisms. Therefore, it is important to understand which of these properties of vocal sounds underlie the neural processing and perception of vocalizations.Here, we test the importance of vocalization-typical spectral features in behavioral recognition and neural processing of vocal sounds, using male zebra finches. We show that behavioral responses to natural and synthesized vocalizations rely on the presence of discrete frequency components, but not on harmonic ratios between frequencies. We identify a specific population of neurons in primary auditory cortex that are sensitive to the spectral resolution of vocal sounds. We find that behavioral and neural response selectivity is explained by sensitivity to spectral contrast rather than harmonicity. This selectivity emerges within the cortex; it is absent in the thalamorecipient region and present in the deep output region. Further, deep-region neurons that are contrast-sensitive show distinct temporal responses and selectivity for modulation density compared with unselective neurons.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Auditory coding and perception are critical for vocal communication. Auditory neurons must encode acoustic features that distinguish vocalizations from other sounds in the environment and generate percepts that direct behavior. The acoustic features that drive neural and behavioral selectivity for vocal sounds are unknown, however. Here, we show that vocal response behavior scales with stimulus spectral contrast but not with harmonicity, in songbirds. We identify a distinct population of auditory cortex neurons in which response selectivity parallels behavioral selectivity. This neural response selectivity is explained by sensitivity to spectral contrast rather than to harmonicity. Our findings inform the understanding of how the auditory system encodes socially-relevant signals via detection of an acoustic feature that is ubiquitous in vocalizations.
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48
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Task-Related Sensorimotor Adjustments Increase the Sensory Range in Electrolocation. J Neurosci 2019; 40:1097-1109. [PMID: 31818975 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1024-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception and motor control traditionally are studied separately. However, motor activity can serve as a scaffold to shape the sensory flow. This tight link between motor actions and sensing is particularly evident in active sensory systems. Here, we investigate how the weakly electric mormyrid fish Gnathonemus petersii of undetermined sex structure their sensing and motor behavior while learning a perceptual task. We find systematic adjustments of the motor behavior that correlate with an increased performance. Using a model to compute the electrosensory input, we show that these behavioral adjustments improve the sensory input. As we find low neuronal detection thresholds at the level of medullary electrosensory neurons, it seems that the behavior-driven improvements of the sensory input are highly suitable to overcome the sensory limitations, thereby increasing the sensory range. Our results show that motor control is an active component of sensory learning, demonstrating that a detailed understanding of contribution of motor actions to sensing is needed to understand even seemingly simple behaviors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Motor-guided sensation and perception are intertwined, with motor behavior serving as a scaffold to shape the sensory input. We characterized how the weakly electric mormyrid fish Gnathonemus petersii, as it learns a perceptual task, restructures its sensorimotor behavior. We find that systematic adjustments of the motor behavior correlate with increased performance and a shift of the sensory attention of the animal. Analyzing the afferent electrosensory input shows that a significant gain in information results from these sensorimotor adjustments. Our results show that motor control can be an active component of sensory learning. Researching the sensory corollaries of motor control thus can be crucial to understand sensory sensation and perception under naturalistic conditions.
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49
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Ikeda MZ, Trusel M, Roberts TF. Memory circuits for vocal imitation. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 60:37-46. [PMID: 31810009 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Many complex behaviors exhibited by social species are first learned by imitating the behavior of other more experienced individuals. Speech and language are the most widely appreciated behaviors learned in this way. Vocal imitation in songbirds is perhaps the best studied socially transmitted behavior, and research over the past few years has begun to crack the circuit mechanisms for how songbirds learn from vocal models. Studies in zebra finches are revealing an unexpected and essential role for premotor cortical circuits in forming the behavioral-goal memories used to guide song imitation, challenging the view that song memories used for imitation are stored in auditory circuits. Here, we provide a summary of this recent progress focusing on the What, Where, and How of tutor song memory, and propose a circuit hypothesis for song learning based on these recent findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maaya Z Ikeda
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Massimo Trusel
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Todd F Roberts
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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50
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Berkowitz A. Expanding our horizons: central pattern generation in the context of complex activity sequences. J Exp Biol 2019; 222:222/20/jeb192054. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.192054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Central pattern generators (CPGs) are central nervous system (CNS) networks that can generate coordinated output in the absence of patterned sensory input. For decades, this concept was applied almost exclusively to simple, innate, rhythmic movements with essentially identical cycles that repeat continually (e.g. respiration) or episodically (e.g. locomotion). But many natural movement sequences are not simple rhythms, as they include different elements in a complex order, and some involve learning. The concepts and experimental approaches of CPG research have also been applied to the neural control of complex movement sequences, such as birdsong, though this is not widely appreciated. Experimental approaches to the investigation of CPG networks, both for simple rhythms and for complex activity sequences, have shown that: (1) brief activation of the CPG elicits a long-lasting naturalistic activity sequence; (2) electrical stimulation of CPG elements alters the timing of subsequent cycles or sequence elements; and (3) warming or cooling CPG elements respectively speeds up or slows down the rhythm or sequence rate. The CPG concept has also been applied to the activity rhythms of populations of mammalian cortical neurons. CPG concepts and methods might further be applied to a variety of fixed action patterns typically used in courtship, rivalry, nest building and prey capture. These complex movements could be generated by CPGs within CPGs (‘nested’ CPGs). Stereotypical, non-motor, non-rhythmic neuronal activity sequences may also be generated by CPGs. My goal here is to highlight previous applications of the CPG concept to complex but stereotypical activity sequences and to suggest additional possible applications, which might provoke new hypotheses and experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ari Berkowitz
- Department of Biology and Cellular & Behavioral Neurobiology Graduate Program, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
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