1
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Burke JE, Perkes AD, Perlegos AE, Schmidt MF. A neural circuit for vocal production responds to viscerosensory input in the songbird. J Neurophysiol 2024; 131:304-310. [PMID: 38116612 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00400.2023] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor performance is monitored continuously by specialized brain circuits and used adaptively to modify behavior on a moment-to-moment basis and over longer time periods. During vocal behaviors, such as singing in songbirds, internal evaluation of motor performance relies on sensory input from the auditory and vocal-respiratory systems. Sensory input from the auditory system to the motor system, often referred to as auditory feedback, has been well studied in singing zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), but little is known about how and where nonauditory sensory feedback is evaluated. Here we show that brief perturbations in air sac pressure cause short-latency neural responses in the higher-order song control nucleus HVC (used as proper name), an area necessary for song learning and song production. Air sacs were briefly pressurized through a cannula in anesthetized or sedated adult male zebra finches, and neural responses were recorded in both nucleus parambigualis (PAm), a brainstem inspiratory center, and HVC, a cortical premotor nucleus. These findings show that song control nuclei in the avian song system are sensitive to perturbations directly targeted to vocal-respiratory, or viscerosensory, afferents and support a role for multimodal sensory feedback integration in modifying and controlling vocal control circuits.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study presents the first evidence of sensory input from the vocal-respiratory periphery directly activating neurons in a motor circuit for vocal production in songbirds. It was previously thought that this circuit relies exclusively on sensory input from the auditory system, but we provide groundbreaking evidence for nonauditory sensory input reaching the higher-order premotor nucleus HVC, expanding our understanding of what sensory feedback may be available for vocal control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E Burke
- Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Ammon D Perkes
- Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Alexandra E Perlegos
- Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Marc F Schmidt
- Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
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2
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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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3
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Han SM, Land BR, Bass AH, Rice AN. Sound production biomechanics in three-spined toadfish and potential functional consequences of swim bladder morphology in the Batrachoididaea). THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:3466-3478. [PMID: 38019096 DOI: 10.1121/10.0022386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between sound complexity and the underlying morphology and physiology of the vocal organ anatomy is a fundamental component in the evolution of acoustic communication, particularly for fishes. Among vertebrates, the mammalian larynx and avian syrinx are the best-studied vocal organs, and their ability to produce complex vocalizations has been modeled. The range and complexity of the sounds in mammalian lineages have been attributed, in part, to the bilateral nature of the vocal anatomy. Similarly, we hypothesize that the bipartite swim bladder of some species of toadfish (family Batrachoididae) is responsible for complex nonlinear characters of the multiple call types that they can produce, supported by nerve transection experiments. Here, we develop a low-dimensional coupled-oscillator model of the mechanics underlying sound production by the two halves of the swim bladder of the three-spined toadfish, Batrachomoeus trispinosus. Our model was able to replicate the nonlinear structure of both courtship and agonistic sounds. The results provide essential support for the hypothesis that fishes and tetrapods have converged in an evolutionary innovation for complex acoustic signaling, namely, a relatively simple bipartite mechanism dependent on sonic muscles contracting around a gas filled structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang Min Han
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Bruce R Land
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Andrew H Bass
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Aaron N Rice
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA
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4
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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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5
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Méndez JM, Dukes J, Cooper BG. Preparing to sing: respiratory patterns underlying motor readiness for song. J Neurophysiol 2022; 128:1646-1662. [PMID: 36416416 PMCID: PMC9762977 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00551.2021] [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: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence for motor preparation and planning comes from neural activity preceding neural commands to activate the effectors; such preparatory activity is observed in pallial areas controlling learned motor behaviors. Vocal learning in songbirds is an example of a learned, sequential motor behavior that is a respiratory motor act and where there is evidence for neuromuscular planning. Respiration is the foundation of vocalization, elucidating the neural control of song motor planning requires studying respiratory antecedents of song initiation. Despite the importance of respiration in song production, few studies have investigated respiratory antecedents of impending vocalizations. Therefore, we investigated respiratory patterns in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata domestica) prior to, during, and following song bouts. In both species, compared with quiet respiration, song respiratory patterns were generated with higher amplitude, faster tempo, and ∼70% of the respiratory cycle is in the expiratory phase. In female-directed and isolation song, both species show a change in the respiratory tempo and the proportion of time spent inhaling prior to song. Following song, only zebra finches show systematic changes in respiratory patterns; they spend a greater proportion of the respiratory cycle in the expiratory phase for 1 s after song, which is likely due to hyperventilation during song. Accelerated respiratory rhythms before song may reflect the motor preparation for the upcoming song production; species differences in preparatory motor activity could be related to the degree to which motor planning is required; finally, song termination may be dictated by respiratory demands.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Motor planning for vocal production in birdsong manifests as an adaptation of respiratory characteristics prior to song. The songbird's respiratory system anticipates the upcoming song production by accelerating the respiratory tempo and increasing the proportion of time spent inhaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge M Méndez
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota
| | - Jacqueline Dukes
- Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
| | - Brenton G Cooper
- Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
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6
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A mechanism for punctuating equilibria during mammalian vocal development. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010173. [PMID: 35696441 PMCID: PMC9232141 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolution and development are typically characterized as the outcomes of gradual changes, but sometimes (states of equilibrium can be punctuated by sudden change. Here, we studied the early vocal development of three different mammals: common marmoset monkeys, Egyptian fruit bats, and humans. Consistent with the notion of punctuated equilibria, we found that all three species undergo at least one sudden transition in the acoustics of their developing vocalizations. To understand the mechanism, we modeled different developmental landscapes. We found that the transition was best described as a shift in the balance of two vocalization landscapes. We show that the natural dynamics of these two landscapes are consistent with the dynamics of energy expenditure and information transmission. By using them as constraints for each species, we predicted the differences in transition timing from immature to mature vocalizations. Using marmoset monkeys, we were able to manipulate both infant energy expenditure (vocalizing in an environment with lighter air) and information transmission (closed-loop contingent parental vocal playback). These experiments support the importance of energy and information in leading to punctuated equilibrium states of vocal development. Species can sometimes evolve suddenly; their appearance is preceded and followed by long periods of stability. This process is known as “punctuated equilibrium”. Our data show that for three mammalian species—marmoset monkeys, fruit bats, and humans—early vocal development trajectories can also be characterized as different equilibrium states punctuated by sharp transitions; transitions indicate the advent of a new vocal behavior. To better understand the putative mechanism behind such transitions, we show that a balance model, in which variables trade-off in their importance over time, captured this change by accurately simulating the shape of the developmental trajectory and predicting the timing of the transition between immature and mature vocal states for all three species. Two variables—energy and information—were hypothesized to trade-off during development. We tested and found support for this hypothesis in analyses of two marmoset monkey experiments, one which manipulated energy metabolic costs and another which manipulated information transmission.
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7
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A juvenile locomotor program promotes vocal learning in zebra finches. Commun Biol 2022; 5:573. [PMID: 35689094 PMCID: PMC9187677 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03533-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution and development of complex, learned motor skills are thought to be closely associated with other locomotor movement and cognitive functions. However, it remains largely unknown how different neuromuscular programs may interconnect during the protracted developmental process. Here we use a songbird to examine the behavioral and neural substrates between the development of locomotor movement and vocal-motor learning. Juvenile songbirds escalate their locomotor activity during the sensitive period for vocal learning, followed by a surge of vocal practice. Individual variability of locomotor production is positively correlated with precision of tutor imitation and duration of multi-syllable sequences. Manipulation of juvenile locomotion significantly impacts the precision of vocal imitation and neural plasticity. The locomotor program developed during the sensitive period of vocal learning may enrich the neural substrates that promote the subsequent development of vocal learning. Increased movement is associated with improved vocal activity in young zebra finches, while reducing locomotion leads to poor vocal learning. These results suggest that exercise in juvenile birds may actually promote their ability to learn and produce songs.
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8
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Schwark RW, Fuxjager MJ, Schmidt MF. Proposing a neural framework for the evolution of elaborate courtship displays. eLife 2022; 11:e74860. [PMID: 35639093 PMCID: PMC9154748 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In many vertebrates, courtship occurs through the performance of elaborate behavioral displays that are as spectacular as they are complex. The question of how sexual selection acts upon these animals' neuromuscular systems to transform a repertoire of pre-existing movements into such remarkable (if not unusual) display routines has received relatively little research attention. This is a surprising gap in knowledge, given that unraveling this extraordinary process is central to understanding the evolution of behavioral diversity and its neural control. In many vertebrates, courtship displays often push the limits of neuromuscular performance, and often in a ritualized manner. These displays can range from songs that require rapid switching between two independently controlled 'voice boxes' to precisely choreographed acrobatics. Here, we propose a framework for thinking about how the brain might not only control these displays, but also shape their evolution. Our framework focuses specifically on a major midbrain area, which we view as a likely important node in the orchestration of the complex neural control of behavior used in the courtship process. This area is the periaqueductal grey (PAG), as studies suggest that it is both necessary and sufficient for the production of many instinctive survival behaviors, including courtship vocalizations. Thus, we speculate about why the PAG, as well as its key inputs, might serve as targets of sexual selection for display behavior. In doing so, we attempt to combine core ideas about the neural control of behavior with principles of display evolution. Our intent is to spur research in this area and bring together neurobiologists and behavioral ecologists to more fully understand the role that the brain might play in behavioral innovation and diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan W Schwark
- Department of Biology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Matthew J Fuxjager
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown UniversityProvidenceUnited States
| | - Marc F Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
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9
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10
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Sheldon ZP, Castelino CB, Glaze CM, Bibu SP, Yau E, Schmidt MF. Regulation of vocal precision by noradrenergic modulation of a motor nucleus. J Neurophysiol 2020; 124:458-470. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.00154.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Norepinephrine (NE) function is often implicated in regulating arousal levels. Recent theory suggests that the noradrenergic system also regulates the optimization of behavior with respect to reward maximization by controlling a switch between exploration and exploitation of the specific actions that yield greatest utility. We show in the songbird that NE can act directly on a cortical motor area and cause a switch between exploratory and exploitative behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary P. Sheldon
- Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | | | | | - Steve P. Bibu
- Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Elvina Yau
- Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Marc F. Schmidt
- Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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11
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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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12
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Barkan CL, Zornik E. Inspiring song: The role of respiratory circuitry in the evolution of vertebrate vocal behavior. Dev Neurobiol 2020; 80:31-41. [PMID: 32329162 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22752] [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: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Vocalization is a common means of communication across vertebrates, but the evolutionary origins of the neural circuits controlling these behaviors are not clear. Peripheral mechanisms of sound production vary widely: fish produce sounds with a swimbladder or pectoral fins; amphibians, reptiles, and mammalians vocalize using a larynx; birds vocalize with a syrinx. Despite the diversity of vocal effectors across taxa, there are many similarities in the neural circuits underlying the control of these organs. Do similarities in vocal circuit structure and function indicate that vocal behaviors first arose in a single common ancestor, or have similar neural circuits arisen independently multiple times during evolution? In this review, we describe the hindbrain circuits that are involved in vocal production across vertebrates. Given that vocalization depends on respiration in most tetrapods, it is not surprising that vocal and respiratory hindbrain circuits across distantly related species are anatomically intermingled and functionally linked. Such vocal-respiratory circuit integration supports the hypothesis that vocal evolution involved the expansion and functional diversification of breathing circuits. Recent phylogenetic analyses, however, suggest vocal behaviors arose independently in all major tetrapod clades, indicating that similarities in vocal control circuits are the result of repeated co-options of respiratory circuits in each lineage. It is currently unknown whether vocal circuits across taxa are made up of homologous neurons, or whether vocal neurons in each lineage arose from developmentally and evolutionarily distinct progenitors. Integrative comparative studies of vocal neurons across brain regions and taxa will be required to distinguish between these two scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erik Zornik
- Biology Department, Reed College, Portland, OR, USA
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13
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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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14
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Vocal Motor Performance in Birdsong Requires Brain-Body Interaction. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0053-19.2019. [PMID: 31182473 PMCID: PMC6595438 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0053-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
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15
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Daliparthi VK, Tachibana RO, Cooper BG, Hahnloser RH, Kojima S, Sober SJ, Roberts TF. Transitioning between preparatory and precisely sequenced neuronal activity in production of a skilled behavior. eLife 2019; 8:43732. [PMID: 31184589 PMCID: PMC6592689 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Precise neural sequences are associated with the production of well-learned skilled behaviors. Yet, how neural sequences arise in the brain remains unclear. In songbirds, premotor projection neurons in the cortical song nucleus HVC are necessary for producing learned song and exhibit precise sequential activity during singing. Using cell-type specific calcium imaging we identify populations of HVC premotor neurons associated with the beginning and ending of singing-related neural sequences. We characterize neurons that bookend singing-related sequences and neuronal populations that transition from sparse preparatory activity prior to song to precise neural sequences during singing. Recordings from downstream premotor neurons or the respiratory system suggest that pre-song activity may be involved in motor preparation to sing. These findings reveal population mechanisms associated with moving from non-vocal to vocal behavioral states and suggest that precise neural sequences begin and end as part of orchestrated activity across functionally diverse populations of cortical premotor neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vamsi K Daliparthi
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
| | - Ryosuke O Tachibana
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Brenton G Cooper
- Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, United States
| | - Richard Hr Hahnloser
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich/ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Satoshi Kojima
- Department of Structure and Function of Neural Network, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Samuel J Sober
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States
| | - Todd F Roberts
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States
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16
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Love J, Hoepfner A, Goller F. Song Feature Specific Analysis of Isolate Song Reveals Interspecific Variation in Learned Components. Dev Neurobiol 2019; 79:350-369. [PMID: 31002477 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 04/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Studies of avian vocal development without exposure to conspecific song have been conducted in many passerine species, and the resultant isolate song is often interpreted to represent an expression of the genetic code for conspecific song. There is wide recognition that vocal learning exists in oscine songbirds, but vocal learning has only been thoroughly investigated in a few model species, resulting in a narrow view of birdsong learning. By extracting acoustic signals from published spectrograms, we have reexamined the findings of isolate studies with a universally applicable semi-automated quantitative analysis regimen. When song features were analyzed in light of three different production aspects (respiratory, syringeal, and central programming of sequence), all three show marked interspecific variability in how close isolate song features are to normal. This implies that song learning mechanisms are more variable than is commonly recognized. Our results suggest that the interspecific variation shows no readily observable pattern reflecting phylogeny, which has implications for understanding the mechanisms behind the evolution of avian vocal communication. We emphasize that song learning in passerines provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the evolution of a complex, plastic trait from a phylogenetic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay Love
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112
| | - Amanda Hoepfner
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112
| | - Franz Goller
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112.,Institute for Zoophysiology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
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17
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Zhang YS, Ghazanfar AA. Vocal development through morphological computation. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e2003933. [PMID: 29462148 PMCID: PMC5834215 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2003933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The vocal behavior of infants changes dramatically during early life. Whether or not such a change results from the growth of the body during development-as opposed to solely neural changes-has rarely been investigated. In this study of vocal development in marmoset monkeys, we tested the putative causal relationship between bodily growth and vocal development. During the first two months of life, the spontaneous vocalizations of marmosets undergo (1) a gradual disappearance of context-inappropriate call types and (2) an elongation in the duration of context-appropriate contact calls. We hypothesized that both changes are the natural consequences of lung growth and do not require any changes at the neural level. To test this idea, we first present a central pattern generator model of marmoset vocal production to demonstrate that lung growth can affect the temporal and oscillatory dynamics of neural circuits via sensory feedback from the lungs. Lung growth qualitatively shifted vocal behavior in the direction observed in real marmoset monkey vocal development. We then empirically tested this hypothesis by placing the marmoset infants in a helium-oxygen (heliox) environment in which air is much lighter. This simulated a reversal in development by decreasing the effort required to respire, thus increasing the respiration rate (as though the lungs were smaller). The heliox manipulation increased the proportions of inappropriate call types and decreased the duration of contact calls, consistent with a brief reversal of vocal development. These results suggest that bodily growth alone can play a major role in shaping the development of vocal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yisi S. Zhang
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Asif A. Ghazanfar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
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18
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Zhang YS. Commentary on "Modeling temperature manipulation in a circular model of birdsong production". PAPERS IN PHYSICS 2018. [DOI: 10.4279/pip.100003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
A Commentary on the paper by G. C. Dima et al. [Pap. Phys. 10, 100002 (2018)].Received: 8 January 2018, Accepted: 11 January 2018; Edited by: A. Martí; DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4279/PIP.100003Cite as: Y S Zhang, Papers in Physics 10, 100003 (2018)This paper, by Y S Zhang, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0.
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19
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Dima GC, Goldin MA, Mindlin GB. Modeling temperature manipulations in a circular model of birdsong production. PAPERS IN PHYSICS 2018. [DOI: 10.4279/pip.100002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
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20
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Mets DG, Brainard MS. Genetic variation interacts with experience to determine interindividual differences in learned song. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:421-426. [PMID: 29279376 PMCID: PMC5777042 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1713031115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Learning reflects the influence of experience on genetically determined circuitry, but little is known about how experience and genetics interact to determine complex learned phenotypes. Here, we used vocal learning in songbirds to study how experience and genetics contribute to interindividual differences in learned song. Previous work has established that such differences in song within a species depend on learning, but in principle some of these differences could also depend on genetic variation. We focused on song tempo, a learned and quantifiable feature that is controlled by central neural circuitry. To identify genetic contributions to tempo we computer-tutored juvenile Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata domestica) from different genetic backgrounds with synthetic songs in which tempo was systematically varied. Computer-tutored birds exhibited unexpectedly strong heritability for song tempo and comparatively weak influence of experience. We then tested whether heritability was fixed and independent of experience by providing a second group of birds with enriched instruction via live social tutoring. Live tutoring resulted in not only a significant increase in the influence of experience on tempo but also a dramatic decrease in the influence of genetics, indicating that enriched instruction could overcome genetic biases evident under computer tutoring. Our results reveal strong heritable genetic contributions to interindividual variation in song tempo but that the degree of heritability depends profoundly on the quality of instruction. They suggest that for more complex learned phenotypes, where it can be difficult to identify and control relevant experiential variables, heritability may similarly be contingent on the specifics of experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Mets
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158;
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Michael S Brainard
- Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158;
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158
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21
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Düring DN, Knörlein BJ, Elemans CPH. In situ vocal fold properties and pitch prediction by dynamic actuation of the songbird syrinx. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11296. [PMID: 28900151 PMCID: PMC5595934 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11258-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The biomechanics of sound production forms an integral part of the neuromechanical control loop of avian vocal motor control. However, we critically lack quantification of basic biomechanical parameters describing the vocal organ, the syrinx, such as material properties of syringeal elements, forces and torques exerted on, and motion of the syringeal skeleton during song. Here, we present a novel marker-based 3D stereoscopic imaging technique to reconstruct 3D motion of servo-controlled actuation of syringeal muscle insertions sites in vitro and focus on two muscles controlling sound pitch. We furthermore combine kinematic analysis with force measurements to quantify elastic properties of sound producing medial labia (ML). The elastic modulus of the zebra finch ML is 18 kPa at 5% strain, which is comparable to elastic moduli of mammalian vocal folds. Additionally ML lengthening due to musculus syringealis ventralis (VS) shortening is intrinsically constraint at maximally 12% strain. Using these values we predict sound pitch to range from 350–800 Hz by VS modulation, corresponding well to previous observations. The presented methodology allows for quantification of syringeal skeleton motion and forces, acoustic effects of muscle recruitment, and calibration of computational birdsong models, enabling experimental access to the entire neuromechanical control loop of vocal motor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel N Düring
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin J Knörlein
- Center for Computation and Visualization, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Coen P H Elemans
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
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Mindlin GB. Nonlinear dynamics in the study of birdsong. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2017; 27:092101. [PMID: 28964148 PMCID: PMC5605333 DOI: 10.1063/1.4986932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Birdsong, a rich and complex behavior, is a stellar model to understand a variety of biological problems, from motor control to learning. It also enables us to study how behavior emerges when a nervous system, a biomechanical device and the environment interact. In this review, I will show that many questions in the field can benefit from the approach of nonlinear dynamics, and how birdsong can inspire new directions for research in dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel B Mindlin
- Departamento de Física, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires IFIBA, CONICET, Argentina
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23
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Amador A, Boari S, Mindlin GB. From perception to action in songbird production: dynamics of a whole loop. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 3:30-35. [PMID: 28695216 DOI: 10.1016/j.coisb.2017.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Birdsong emerges when a set of highly interconnected brain areas manage to generate a complex output. This consists of precise respiratory rhythms as well as motor instructions to control the vocal organ configuration. In this way, during birdsong production, dedicated cortical areas interact with life-supporting ones in the brainstem, such as the respiratory nuclei. We discuss an integrative view of this interaction together with a widely accepted "top-down" representation of the song system. We also show that a description of this neural network in terms of dynamical systems allows to explore songbird production and processing by generating testable predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Amador
- Physics Department, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBA Conicet Int. Guiraldes 2160, Pab.1, Ciudad Universitaria, (1428) Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Santiago Boari
- Physics Department, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBA Conicet Int. Guiraldes 2160, Pab.1, Ciudad Universitaria, (1428) Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel B Mindlin
- Physics Department, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBA Conicet Int. Guiraldes 2160, Pab.1, Ciudad Universitaria, (1428) Buenos Aires, Argentina
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24
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Kelley DB, Elliott TM, Evans BJ, Hall IC, Leininger EC, Rhodes HJ, Yamaguchi A, Zornik E. Probing forebrain to hindbrain circuit functions in Xenopus. Genesis 2017; 55. [PMID: 28095617 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate hindbrain includes neural circuits that govern essential functions including breathing, blood pressure and heart rate. Hindbrain circuits also participate in generating rhythmic motor patterns for vocalization. In most tetrapods, sound production is powered by expiration and the circuitry underlying vocalization and respiration must be linked. Perception and arousal are also linked; acoustic features of social communication sounds-for example, a baby's cry-can drive autonomic responses. The close links between autonomic functions that are essential for life and vocal expression have been a major in vivo experimental challenge. Xenopus provides an opportunity to address this challenge using an ex vivo preparation: an isolated brain that generates vocal and breathing patterns. The isolated brain allows identification and manipulation of hindbrain vocal circuits as well as their activation by forebrain circuits that receive sensory input, initiate motor patterns and control arousal. Advances in imaging technologies, coupled to the production of Xenopus lines expressing genetically encoded calcium sensors, provide powerful tools for imaging neuronal patterns in the entire fictively behaving brain, a goal of the BRAIN Initiative. Comparisons of neural circuit activity across species (comparative neuromics) with distinctive vocal patterns can identify conserved features, and thereby reveal essential functional components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darcy B Kelley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027
| | - Taffeta M Elliott
- Department of Psychology, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, New Mexico, 87801
| | - Ben J Evans
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Ontario, L8S4K1, Canada
| | - Ian C Hall
- Department of Biology, Benedictine University, Lisle, Illinois
| | | | - Heather J Rhodes
- Department of Biology, Denison University, Granville, Ohio, 43023
| | - Ayako Yamaguchi
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112
| | - Erik Zornik
- Biology Department, Reed College, Portland, Oregon, 97201
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25
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Sieck GC. Physiology in Perspective: We Learn From Evolutionary/Comparative Physiology. Physiology (Bethesda) 2016; 31:390-391. [PMID: 27708044 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00027.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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