1
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Pagliarini S, Leblois A, Hinaut X. Vocal Imitation in Sensorimotor Learning Models: A Comparative Review. IEEE Trans Cogn Dev Syst 2021. [DOI: 10.1109/tcds.2020.3041179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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2
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Margoliash D. Rhythm: Similar Structure in Birdsong and Music Gives Neuroethological Insight. Curr Biol 2020; 30:R1056-R1058. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.07.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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3
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Cohen Y, Shen J, Semu D, Leman DP, Liberti WA, Perkins LN, Liberti DC, Kotton DN, Gardner TJ. Hidden neural states underlie canary song syntax. Nature 2020; 582:539-544. [PMID: 32555461 PMCID: PMC7380505 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2397-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Coordinated skills such as speech or dance involve sequences of actions that follow syntactic rules in which transitions between elements depend on the identity and order of past actions. Canary songs are comprised of repeated syllables, called phrases, and the ordering of these phrases follows long-range rules1, where the choice of what to sing depends on song structure many seconds prior. The neural substrates that support these long-range correlations are unknown. Using miniature head-mounted microscopes and cell-type-specific genetic tools, we observed neural activity in the premotor nucleus HVC2–4 as canaries explore various phrase sequences in their repertoire. We find neurons that encode past transitions, extending over 4 phrases and spanning up to 4 seconds and 40 syllables. These neurons preferentially encode past actions rather than future actions, can reflect more than a single song history, and occur mostly during the rare phrases that involve history-dependent transitions in song. These findings demonstrate that HVC dynamics includes “hidden states” not reflected in ongoing behavior – states that carry information about prior actions. These states provide a possible substrate to control syntax transitions governed by long-range rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yarden Cohen
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Jun Shen
- Boston University Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dawit Semu
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel P Leman
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - William A Liberti
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Derek C Liberti
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.,The Pulmonary Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Darrell N Kotton
- Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.,The Pulmonary Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Timothy J Gardner
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA. .,Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
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4
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Herbert CT, Boari S, Mindlin GB, Amador A. Dynamical model for the neural activity of singing Serinus canaria. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2020; 30:053134. [PMID: 32491906 DOI: 10.1063/1.5145093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Vocal production in songbirds is a key topic regarding the motor control of a complex, learned behavior. Birdsong is the result of the interaction between the activity of an intricate set of neural nuclei specifically dedicated to song production and learning (known as the "song system"), the respiratory system and the vocal organ. These systems interact and give rise to precise biomechanical motor gestures which result in song production. Telencephalic neural nuclei play a key role in the production of motor commands that drive the periphery, and while several attempts have been made to understand their coding strategy, difficulties arise when trying to understand neural activity in the frame of the song system as a whole. In this work, we report neural additive models embedded in an architecture compatible with the song system to provide a tool to reduce the dimensionality of the problem by considering the global activity of the units in each neural nucleus. This model is capable of generating outputs compatible with measurements of air sac pressure during song production in canaries (Serinus canaria). In this work, we show that the activity in a telencephalic nucleus required by the model to reproduce the observed respiratory gestures is compatible with electrophysiological recordings of single neuron activity in freely behaving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia T Herbert
- Department of Physics, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 (C1428EGA), Pabellon 1, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Santiago Boari
- Department of Physics, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 (C1428EGA), Pabellon 1, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel B Mindlin
- Department of Physics, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 (C1428EGA), Pabellon 1, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ana Amador
- Department of Physics, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires and IFIBA, CONICET, Intendente Güiraldes 2160 (C1428EGA), Pabellon 1, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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5
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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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6
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Vellema M, Diales Rocha M, Bascones S, Zsebők S, Dreier J, Leitner S, Van der Linden A, Brewer J, Gahr M. Accelerated redevelopment of vocal skills is preceded by lasting reorganization of the song motor circuitry. eLife 2019; 8:43194. [PMID: 31099755 PMCID: PMC6570526 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Complex motor skills take considerable time and practice to learn. Without continued practice the level of skill performance quickly degrades, posing a problem for the timely utilization of skilled motor behaviors. Here we quantified the recurring development of vocal motor skills and the accompanying changes in synaptic connectivity in the brain of a songbird, while manipulating skill performance by consecutively administrating and withdrawing testosterone. We demonstrate that a songbird with prior singing experience can significantly accelerate the re-acquisition of vocal performance. We further demonstrate that an increase in vocal performance is accompanied by a pronounced synaptic pruning in the forebrain vocal motor area HVC, a reduction that is not reversed when birds stop singing. These results provide evidence that lasting synaptic changes in the motor circuitry are associated with the savings of motor skills, enabling a rapid recovery of motor performance under environmental time constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel Vellema
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.,Bio Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Mariana Diales Rocha
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Sabrina Bascones
- Program for Inflammatory and Cardiovascular Disorders, Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sándor Zsebők
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Jes Dreier
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Stefan Leitner
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | | | - Jonathan Brewer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Manfred Gahr
- Department of Behavioural Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
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7
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Rubin JE, Krauskopf B, Osinga HM. Natural extension of fast-slow decomposition for dynamical systems. Phys Rev E 2018; 97:012215. [PMID: 29448375 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.97.012215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Modeling and parameter estimation to capture the dynamics of physical systems are often challenging because many parameters can range over orders of magnitude and are difficult to measure experimentally. Moreover, selecting a suitable model complexity requires a sufficient understanding of the model's potential use, such as highlighting essential mechanisms underlying qualitative behavior or precisely quantifying realistic dynamics. We present an approach that can guide model development and tuning to achieve desired qualitative and quantitative solution properties. It relies on the presence of disparate time scales and employs techniques of separating the dynamics of fast and slow variables, which are well known in the analysis of qualitative solution features. We build on these methods to show how it is also possible to obtain quantitative solution features by imposing designed dynamics for the slow variables in the form of specified two-dimensional paths in a bifurcation-parameter landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- J E Rubin
- Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, 301 Thackeray Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
| | - B Krauskopf
- Department of Mathematics, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019 Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - H M Osinga
- Department of Mathematics, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019 Auckland 1142, New Zealand
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8
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Taitz A, Shalom DE, Trevisan MA. Vocal effort modulates the motor planning of short speech structures. Phys Rev E 2018; 97:052406. [PMID: 29906900 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.97.052406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Speech requires programming the sequence of vocal gestures that produce the sounds of words. Here we explored the timing of this program by asking our participants to pronounce, as quickly as possible, a sequence of consonant-consonant-vowel (CCV) structures appearing on screen. We measured the delay between visual presentation and voice onset. In the case of plosive consonants, produced by sharp and well defined movements of the vocal tract, we found that delays are positively correlated with the duration of the transition between consonants. We then used a battery of statistical tests and mathematical vocal models to show that delays reflect the motor planning of CCVs and transitions are proxy indicators of the vocal effort needed to produce them. These results support that the effort required to produce the sequence of movements of a vocal gesture modulates the onset of the motor plan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Taitz
- Physics Institute of Buenos Aires (IFIBA) CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Diego E Shalom
- Department of Physics, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1428EGA, Argentina
| | - Marcos A Trevisan
- Physics Institute of Buenos Aires (IFIBA) CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Department of Physics, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1428EGA, Argentina
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9
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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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10
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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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11
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Goldin MA, Mindlin GB. Temperature manipulation of neuronal dynamics in a forebrain motor control nucleus. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005699. [PMID: 28829769 PMCID: PMC5568752 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Different neuronal types within brain motor areas contribute to the generation of complex motor behaviors. A widely studied songbird forebrain nucleus (HVC) has been recognized as fundamental in shaping the precise timing characteristics of birdsong. This is based, among other evidence, on the stretching and the “breaking” of song structure when HVC is cooled. However, little is known about the temperature effects that take place in its neurons. To address this, we investigated the dynamics of HVC both experimentally and computationally. We developed a technique where simultaneous electrophysiological recordings were performed during temperature manipulation of HVC. We recorded spontaneous activity and found three effects: widening of the spike shape, decrease of the firing rate and change in the interspike interval distribution. All these effects could be explained with a detailed conductance based model of all the neurons present in HVC. Temperature dependence of the ionic channel time constants explained the first effect, while the second was based in the changes of the maximal conductance using single synaptic excitatory inputs. The last phenomenon, only emerged after introducing a more realistic synaptic input to the inhibitory interneurons. Two timescales were present in the interspike distributions. The behavior of one timescale was reproduced with different input balances received form the excitatory neurons, whereas the other, which disappears with cooling, could not be found assuming poissonian synaptic inputs. Furthermore, the computational model shows that the bursting of the excitatory neurons arises naturally at normal brain temperature and that they have an intrinsic delay at low temperatures. The same effect occurs at single synapses, which may explain song stretching. These findings shed light on the temperature dependence of neuronal dynamics and present a comprehensive framework to study neuronal connectivity. This study, which is based on intrinsic neuronal characteristics, may help to understand emergent behavioral changes. The study of the neuronal mechanisms that give rise to the complex behavior of singing in birds has been hotly debated lately. Many models have been tested and novel tools have been developed to try to understand the role of a key brain nucleus in the song pathway: HVC. It is believed that it is highly responsible for generating the precise timing of songs, and this has been tested by manipulating it with temperature. Results showed that cooling can stretch, but that it can also restructure or “break” the song syllables. However, single neuronal mechanisms are not yet described. To better understand this, we cooled HVC in canaries and measured spontaneous activity electrophysiologically. We found three effects: spike shape widening, spike rate reduction and changes in inter-spike-interval (ISI) distributions. To explain them, we built a computational model with a detailed description of ion channel conductances and temperature dependency. We could explain the first effect with a single neuron model. The second, could be explained adding single synapses. Finally, we showed similar ISI modifications of one of the timescales present by means of multiple stochastic inputs. In addition, we found that excitatory neurons show natural bursting behavior at normal brain temperatures and that synaptic delays are the main candidates to explain song stretching at low temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías A. Goldin
- Dynamical Systems Laboratory, Physics Department and IFIBA Conicet, University of Buenos Aires, Pabellón 1, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- * E-mail:
| | - Gabriel B. Mindlin
- Dynamical Systems Laboratory, Physics Department and IFIBA Conicet, University of Buenos Aires, Pabellón 1, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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12
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Schmidt MF, Goller F. Breathtaking Songs: Coordinating the Neural Circuits for Breathing and Singing. Physiology (Bethesda) 2017; 31:442-451. [PMID: 27708050 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00004.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The vocal behavior of birds is remarkable for its diversity, and songs can feature elaborate characteristics such as long duration, rapid temporal pattern, and broad frequency range. The respiratory system plays a central role in generating the complex song patterns that must be integrated with its life-sustaining functions. Here, we explore how precise coordination between the neural circuits for breathing and singing is fundamental to production of these remarkable behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc F Schmidt
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and
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13
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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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14
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Danish HH, Aronov D, Fee MS. Rhythmic syllable-related activity in a songbird motor thalamic nucleus necessary for learned vocalizations. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0169568. [PMID: 28617829 PMCID: PMC5472270 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Birdsong is a complex behavior that exhibits hierarchical organization. While the representation of singing behavior and its hierarchical organization has been studied in some detail in avian cortical premotor circuits, our understanding of the role of the thalamus in adult birdsong is incomplete. Using a combination of behavioral and electrophysiological studies, we seek to expand on earlier work showing that the thalamic nucleus Uvaeformis (Uva) is necessary for the production of stereotyped, adult song in zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). We confirm that complete bilateral lesions of Uva abolish singing in the ‘directed’ social context, but find that in the ‘undirected’ social context, such lesions result in highly variable vocalizations similar to early babbling song in juvenile birds. Recordings of neural activity in Uva reveal strong syllable-related modulation, maximally active prior to syllable onsets and minimally active prior to syllable offsets. Furthermore, both song and Uva activity exhibit a pronounced coherent modulation at 10Hz—a pattern observed in downstream premotor areas in adult and, even more prominently, in juvenile birds. These findings are broadly consistent with the idea that Uva is critical in the sequential activation of behavioral modules in HVC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Husain H. Danish
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Dmitriy Aronov
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Michale S. Fee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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15
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Faunes M, Wild JM. The ascending projections of the nuclei of the descending trigeminal tract (nTTD) in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:2832-2846. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 05/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Macarena Faunes
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences; University of Auckland; Auckland New Zealand
| | - J. Martin Wild
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences; University of Auckland; Auckland New Zealand
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16
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Faunes M, Botelho JF, Wild JM. Innervation of the syrinx of the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:2847-2860. [PMID: 28472866 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24236] [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] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
In songbirds, the learning and maintenance of song is dependent on auditory feedback, but little is known about the presence or role of other forms of sensory feedback. Here, we studied the innervation of the avian vocal organ, the syrinx, in the zebra finch. Using a combination of immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and neural tracing with subunit B of cholera toxin (CTB), we analysed the peripheral and central endings of the branch of the hypoglossal nerve that supplies the syrinx, the tracheosyringeal nerve. In the syringeal muscles, we show the presence of numerous choline acetyl transferase-like immunoreactive en plaque motor endplates and substance P-like immunoreactive, thin and varicose free nerve endings. Substance P-like immunoreactive free nerve endings were also present in the luminal syringeal tissues, especially in the luminal epithelium of the trachea and pessulus. Also, by a combination of immunofluorescence and transganglionic tracing following injections of CTB in the tracheosyringeal nerve, we identified as central targets of the syringeal receptors the caudolateral part of the interpolaris subnucleus of the descending trigeminal tract, a caudolateral region of the nucleus tractus solitarius, and a lateral band of the principal sensory trigeminal nucleus. Further studies are required to determine the sensory modalities of these receptors and the connections of their specific synaptic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Macarena Faunes
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - João F Botelho
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - J Martin Wild
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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17
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Elliott KC, Wu W, Bertram R, Hyson RL, Johnson F. Orthogonal topography in the parallel input architecture of songbird HVC. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:2133-2151. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Revised: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin C. Elliott
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of PsychologyFlorida State UniversityTallahassee Florida
| | - Wei Wu
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of StatisticsFlorida State UniversityTallahassee Florida
| | - Richard Bertram
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of MathematicsFlorida State UniversityTallahassee Florida
| | - Richard L. Hyson
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of PsychologyFlorida State UniversityTallahassee Florida
| | - Frank Johnson
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of PsychologyFlorida State UniversityTallahassee Florida
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18
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Alonso LM. Nonlinear resonances and multi-stability in simple neural circuits. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2017; 27:013118. [PMID: 28147506 DOI: 10.1063/1.4974028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
This article describes a numerical procedure designed to tune the parameters of periodically driven dynamical systems to a state in which they exhibit rich dynamical behavior. This is achieved by maximizing the diversity of subharmonic solutions available to the system within a range of the parameters that define the driving. The procedure is applied to a problem of interest in computational neuroscience: a circuit composed of two interacting populations of neurons under external periodic forcing. Depending on the parameters that define the circuit, such as the weights of the connections between the populations, the response of the circuit to the driving can be strikingly rich and diverse. The procedure is employed to find circuits that, when driven by external input, exhibit multiple stable patterns of periodic activity organized in complex tuning diagrams and signatures of low dimensional chaos.
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19
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Alonso RG, Amador A, Mindlin GB. An integrated model for motor control of song in Serinus canaria. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:127-139. [PMID: 27940209 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 11/25/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Birdsong is a learned motor behavior controlled by an interconnected structure of neural nuclei. This pathway is bilaterally organized, with anatomically indistinguishable structures in each brain hemisphere. In this work, we present a computational model whose variables are the average activities of different neural nuclei of the song system of oscine birds. Two of the variables are linked to the air sac pressure and the tension of the labia during canary song production. We show that these time dependent gestures are capable of driving a model of the vocal organ to synthesize realistic canary like songs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Gogui Alonso
- Physics Department, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBA Conicet, Pabellón 1, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Ana Amador
- Physics Department, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBA Conicet, Pabellón 1, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel B Mindlin
- Physics Department, FCEyN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBA Conicet, Pabellón 1, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Roulet J, Mindlin GB. Average activity of excitatory and inhibitory neural populations. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2016; 26:093104. [PMID: 27781447 PMCID: PMC5018006 DOI: 10.1063/1.4962326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
We develop an extension of the Ott-Antonsen method [E. Ott and T. M. Antonsen, Chaos 18(3), 037113 (2008)] that allows obtaining the mean activity (spiking rate) of a population of excitable units. By means of the Ott-Antonsen method, equations for the dynamics of the order parameters of coupled excitatory and inhibitory populations of excitable units are obtained, and their mean activities are computed. Two different excitable systems are studied: Adler units and theta neurons. The resulting bifurcation diagrams are compared with those obtained from studying the phenomenological Wilson-Cowan model in some regions of the parameter space. Compatible behaviors, as well as higher dimensional chaotic solutions, are observed. We study numerical simulations to further validate the equations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Roulet
- Department of Physics, FCEyN, UBA, IFIBA, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab I, cp 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gabriel B Mindlin
- Department of Physics, FCEyN, UBA, IFIBA, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab I, cp 1428, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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A Distributed Recurrent Network Contributes to Temporally Precise Vocalizations. Neuron 2016; 91:680-93. [PMID: 27397518 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2015] [Revised: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
How do forebrain and brainstem circuits interact to produce temporally precise and reproducible behaviors? Birdsong is an elaborate, temporally precise, and stereotyped vocal behavior controlled by a network of forebrain and brainstem nuclei. An influential idea is that song premotor neurons in a forebrain nucleus (HVC) form a synaptic chain that dictates song timing in a top-down manner. Here we combine physiological, dynamical, and computational methods to show that song timing is not generated solely by a mechanism localized to HVC but instead is the product of a distributed and recurrent synaptic network spanning the forebrain and brainstem, of which HVC is a component.
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