The neural basis for birdsong rhythm and sequencing

鸟鸣节奏和排序的神经基础

• 批准号: 7483972
• 负责人: Christopher Glaze
• 金额: $ 4.48万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2011-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7483972
• 关键词: Acoustics; Adult; Affect; Area; Back; Behavior; Biological Neural Networks; Birds; Brain; Brain Stem; Case Study; Cell Nucleus; Cerebellum; Chronic; Classification; Code; Communication; Complex; Condition; Conflict (Psychology); Data; Disease; Dorsal; Elements; Equilibrium; Exhibits; Feedback; Fees; Freedom; Generations; Human; Individual; Investigation; Learning; Length; Lesion; Link; Motor; Names; Neurons; Output; Pathology; Pathway interactions; Pattern; Physiological; Play; Production; Prosencephalon; Recurrence; Research; Role; Signal Transduction; Speech; Stereotyping; Stretching; Structure; Stuttering; System; Testing; Thalamic Nuclei; Thalamic structure; Time; Training; base; bird song; feeding; insight; interest; male; millisecond; motor control; neural circuit; neuromechanism; neurophysiology; relating to nervous system; respiratory; stereotypy; vocalization; zebra finch

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Birdsong is a learned, complex behavior that is organized on multiple timescales that are analogous with aspects of human speech such as prosody and phonemes. It has been proposed that songs are encoded over neural circuits on a single fine timescale only; however, these studies have been restricted to feed forward control in the forebrain. The general aim of this research is to examine how recurrent brainstem-forebrain circuitry (BFC) represents the rhythmic aspects zebra finch song on broader scales. I hypothesize that BFC integrates corollary discharge of forebrain activity with the generation of commands for upcoming vocalizations. I will test this hypothesis with chronic, single-unit recordings in two key areas of BFC during adult song production. First, I will record from the dorsal region of forebrain nucleus RA, which is currently understood to encode the respiratory activity which accompanies song. Second, I will record from brainstem nuclei PAm and DM, both of which receive inputs from dorsal RA and project back towards the forebrain via the thalamus; currently very little is known about how song is encoded over these subpopulations. I will compare the timing of spike trains in each of these areas with syllable onsets, offsets and lengths. Importantly, I will exploit trial-to-trial variability in song timing and sequencing as a critical degree of freedom in this analysis: although zebra finch song is highly stereotyped, it also exhibits subtle but systematic variability in timing and sequencing that may be directly related to the motor code. Naturally occurring perturbations such as these could reveal especially weak links in neural networks that are more easily disrupted under more severe conditions such as a disease. Analogous timescales in human speech have been identified and are implicated in aphasias such as stuttering and lesions to key areas such as the cerebellum. Thus, the discovery of how "song prosody" is encoded in zebra finch song may reveal important insights into the physiological basis for human speech and known pathologies. Public statement: Birdsong has provided a exciting opportunity to investigate how the brain produces complex, vocal communication. Songs have a temporal organization that is very similar to human speech, but so far the neural basis of this organization remains poorly understood. The current study is aimed at how neural circuits encode the rhythm and order of individual vocalizations in song. This research may thus reveal important insights into disorders that affect similar elements of human speech, such as stuttering.

描述（由申请人提供）：鸟鸣是一种习得的、复杂的行为，其在多个时间尺度上组织，与人类语音的各个方面（如韵律和音素）类似。有人提出，歌曲是在一个单一的精细的时间尺度上编码的神经回路;然而，这些研究一直局限于前脑的前馈控制。本研究的主要目的是在更广泛的尺度上研究反复出现的脑干-前脑回路（BFC）如何代表斑胸草雀歌唱的节奏方面。我假设BFC整合了前脑活动的必然放电与即将到来的发声命令的产生。我将在成人歌曲制作过程中，在BFC的两个关键区域用慢性单单元录音来检验这一假设。首先，我将记录前脑核RA的背侧区域，目前认为该区域编码伴随歌曲的呼吸活动。第二，我将记录从脑干核PAm和DM，这两个接收输入从背RA和项目回到前脑通过丘脑;目前很少有人知道如何在这些亚群编码的歌曲。我将比较这些区域中的尖峰序列的时间与音节起始、偏移和长度。重要的是，我将利用试验到试验的变化，在歌曲的时间和序列作为一个关键的自由度在这个分析：虽然斑马雀的歌曲是高度定型，它也表现出微妙的，但系统的变化，在时间和序列可能直接相关的运动代码。像这样自然发生的扰动可以揭示神经网络中特别薄弱的环节，这些环节在疾病等更严重的条件下更容易被破坏。人类语言中类似的时间尺度已经被确定，并与失语症（如口吃）和小脑等关键区域的病变有关。因此，“歌曲韵律”是如何编码在斑胸草雀歌曲的发现可能会揭示人类语言和已知的病理生理基础的重要见解。公开声明：Birdsong提供了一个令人兴奋的机会来研究大脑如何产生复杂的声音交流。歌曲有一个与人类语言非常相似的时间组织，但到目前为止，这种组织的神经基础仍然知之甚少。目前的研究旨在研究神经回路如何编码歌曲中个体发声的节奏和顺序。因此，这项研究可能会揭示影响人类语言相似元素的疾病的重要见解，例如口吃。