PMID: 8994068Feb 1, 1997Paper

Song- and order-selective neurons in the songbird anterior forebrain and their emergence during vocal development

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
Allison Doupe

Abstract

Auditory experience is critical for vocal learning in songbirds as in humans. Therefore, in a search for neural mechanisms for song learning and recognition, the auditory response properties of neurons in the anterior forebrain (AF) pathway of the songbird brain were investigated. This pathway plays an essential but poorly understood role during the period of song development when auditory feedback is most crucial. Single-unit recordings demonstrated that both the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (LMAN) and Area X (X) contain auditory neurons in adult male finches. These neurons are strongly selective for both spectral and temporal properties of song; they respond more robustly to the bird's own song (BOS) than to songs of conspecific individuals, and they respond less well to the BOS if it is played in reverse. In addition, X neurons are more broadly responsive than LMAN neurons, suggesting that responses to song become progressively more refined along this pathway. Both X and LMAN of young male finches early in the process of song learning (30-45 d old) also contain song-responsive auditory neurons, but these juvenile neurons lack the song and order selectivity present in adult birds. The spectral and...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Aphasia

Aphasia affects the ability to process language, including formulation and comprehension of language and speech, as well as the ability to read or write. Here is the latest research on aphasia.

Related Papers

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Allison Doupe, M Konishi
The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
M M Solis, Allison Doupe
The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
N A Hessler, Allison Doupe
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved