Functional identification of sensory mechanisms required for developmental song learning
Functional identification of sensory mechanisms required for developmental song learning
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DOI：
10.1038/nn.2103
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发表时间：
2008-05-01
影响因子：
25
通讯作者：
Clayton, David F.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
London, Sarah E.;Clayton, David F.
一只年轻的雄性斑马雀通过模仿一位年长教师的发声来学习唱歌，这一过程类似于人类的语音习得。控制歌曲产生的大脑通路是明确的，但对导师歌曲记忆的位置和机制知之甚少。在这里，我们测试了一种假设，即在歌曲系统之外的感觉大脑区域中的分子信号是发育歌曲学习所必需的。使用受控辅导和一种药物抑制剂，我们暂时抑制了听觉前脑部分区域的细胞外信号调节激酶信号通路，特别是在家教歌曲暴露期间。在成熟期，处理组的家禽的家教歌复制效果较差，而对照组家禽的家教歌复制效果较好。因此，正常歌曲学习的基础，即对导师歌曲的感觉记忆的形成，需要大脑区域中一条与歌曲运动控制电路截然不同的保守的分子通路。
A young male zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) learns to sing by copying the vocalizations of an older tutor in a process that parallels human speech acquisition. Brain pathways that control song production are well defined, but little is known about the sites and mechanisms of tutor song memorization. Here we test the hypothesis that molecular signaling in a sensory brain area outside of the song system is required for developmental song learning. Using controlled tutoring and a pharmacological inhibitor, we transiently suppressed the extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway in a portion of the auditory forebrain specifically during tutor song exposure. On maturation, treated birds produced poor copies of tutor song, whereas controls copied the tutor song effectively. Thus the foundation of normal song learning, the formation of a sensory memory of tutor song, requires a conserved molecular pathway in a brain area that is distinct from the circuit for song motor control.