Synaptic Processing in a Forebrain Pathway Essential For Vocal Learning In Songbirds

前脑通路中的突触处理对于鸣禽的声音学习至关重要

• 批准号: 9817889
• 负责人: David Perkel
• 金额: $ 28.55万
• 依托单位: University of Pennsylvania
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-04-01 至 2001-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9817889&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Synaptic; Processing; Forebrain; Pathway; Essential

LAY ABSTRACTProposal #: IBN-9817889PI Name: David PerkelHumans, cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and some birds are the only animals known to learn their vocalizations. Songbirds thus provide a uniquely accessible model system for studying how the brain learns vocal behaviors. The brain structures involved in avian song production and learning are distinct and well defined, but their functional connections are not well understood. The present proposal will examine an avian brain circuit, the anterior forebrain pathway, which (1) is necessary for vocal learning but not song production and (2) resembles a circuit known in mammals to be involved in a variety of motor and cognitive functions.These experiments will use immunological and electrophysiological techniques to determine whether the AFP, as in its mammalian counterpart, has two sequential stages of inhibitory projections, i.e. whether the same functional wiring occurs in the songbird. Two primary benefits are: (1) clarification of how the circuit works in songbirds to mediate vocal learning and (2) testing for evolutionarily conserved circuitry, which would suggest more general rules for motor learning. Such similarities would provide essential guidance for further experiments aimed at understanding the detailed cellular mechanisms of vocal learning and of motor learning in general.

人类、鲸目动物（鲸鱼和海豚）和一些鸟类是已知的唯一会学习发声的动物。因此，鸣禽为研究大脑如何学习发声行为提供了一个独特的模型系统。参与鸟类鸣叫产生和学习的大脑结构是独特而明确的，但它们的功能联系尚未得到很好的理解。目前的提议将研究鸟类的大脑回路，即前脑通路，它(1)是声乐学习所必需的，但不是歌曲的产生，(2)类似于哺乳动物中已知的参与各种运动和认知功能的回路。这些实验将使用免疫学和电生理学技术来确定AFP是否像在哺乳动物中一样，有两个连续的抑制投射阶段，即是否在鸣禽中发生相同的功能线路。两个主要的好处是：(1)阐明了鸣禽的神经回路是如何调节声音学习的；(2)测试了进化上保守的神经回路，这将为运动学习提供更普遍的规则。这种相似性将为进一步的实验提供必要的指导，旨在了解声音学习和一般运动学习的详细细胞机制。