Neural Basis of Vocal Behavior

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Acoustic signals are important in understanding how members of the same species communicate with each other. Juveniles learn speech by listening to mature members of their species, and go through an initial phase of babbling before perfecting this behavior. Human speech and avian song have many similarities which allow bird song to be used as a model system for understanding the way in which the brain regulates communicaton behavior. An important component of communication is the ability to recognize signals produced by members of the same species, called conspecifics. In female birds, such recognition is essential in insuring that they mate only with conspecific males. This award to Dr. Eliot Brenowitz will investigate how females perceive song and the manner in which brain regions control recognition of mating songs produced by conspecific males. Selective inactivation of one brain region, the high vocal center, causes female birds to fail to distinguish between male canary song and the songs of males of other species. To determine if there is a pathway in the brain that is specialized for song recognition, brain regions connected to the high vocal center will be inactivated. The effects of such inactivation will be measured with a behavioral display performed by breeding females in response to presentation of songs sung by conspecific males. Specific elements of the song will be tested to determine which signals are most important. Additionally, each side of the brain will be testd separately to determine if the system is bilaterally asymmetrical as is the case for human speech. This work will contribute to understanding the way in which the brain controls recognition of signals critical for successful communication.