Neuroanatomy of Song Perception in Female Songbirds

本研究将研究鸣禽利用鸣叫进行听觉学习的神经和行为关系。鸣声学习发生在发育早期的一个敏感时期，而雄性鸣禽在整个成年生活中都会发出从所学知识中衍生出来的鸣声。歌曲是一种通信方式，其中接收者必须能够解码发送者的信息。在许多物种中，雄性向雌性唱歌。虽然我们对雄性鸣声习得的条件和支持鸣声产生的神经系统了解很多，但对一般的鸣声感知知之甚少，特别是对雌性大脑如何学习、处理和回应鸣声知之甚少。本实验采用行为学、解剖学和功能学相结合的方法，研究了早期经验在雌性鸣叫感知发育及其神经基质中的作用。他们还评估了是否可以通过向老年动物提供适当的经验来逆转早期异常经验对大脑的影响。这些实验将解决神经生物学中的重要问题。首先，早期“敏感”时期的学习是否与后期更传统的学习使用相同的大脑机制？第二，哪些大脑区域用于复杂的听觉学习？与此相关的是，女性在这些方面的变化是否比男性更明显（因为女性根据这些信息做出的决定似乎比男性做出的决定更精确）？第三，这种早期学习（或缺乏）的影响是永久性的，还是信息（以及存储信息的大脑区域）可以在以后被修改？雌性鸣禽是研究这些问题的理想系统。

This proposal will study neural and behavioral correlates of auditory learning using song in songbirds. Song learning occurs during a sensitive period early in development, and a song derived from what was learned is produced by male songbirds throughout adult life. Song is a mode of communication, in which the receiver must be able to decode the message of the sender. In many species, males sing to females. While much is known of conditions for song acquisition and of the neural system which supports song production in males, little is known of song perception in general and, in particular, of how the brains of females learn about, process and respond to song. The experiments in this proposal use complementary behavioral, anatomical and functional methods to study the role of early experience in development of song perception and its neural substrate in females. They also assess whether brain effects of abnormal early experience can be reversed by providing appropriate experience to older animals. The experiments will address important issues in neurobiology. First, does learning during early "sensitive" periods use the same brain mechanisms as later, more conventional learning? Second, which brain areas are used for complex auditory learning? Related to this, are the changes in these areas more evident in females than in males (since the females make decisions based on this information that seem more precise than decisions made by males)? Third, are the effects of this early learning (or lack of it) permanent, or can the information (and the brain areas that store it) be modified later on? Female songbirds are an ideal system in which to study these issues.