Behavioral and Neural Analysis of Vocal Plasticity

声音可塑性的行为和神经分析

• 批准号: 8094344
• 负责人: MICHAEL S BRAINARD
• 金额: $ 38.55万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-04-01 至 2014-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8094344
• 关键词: AFP gene; Acute; Adolescent; Adult; Anterior; Association Learning; Auditory; Basal Ganglia; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Behavior; Behavioral; Behavioral Mechanisms; Behavioral Paradigm; Birds; Brain; Brain region; Cell Nucleus; Chronic; Development; Exhibits; Feedback; Financial compensation; Finches; Functional disorder; Grant; Health; Hearing; Human; Individual; Interneurons; Investigation; Learning; Maintenance; Measures; Modality; Modeling; Modification; Monitor; Motor; Motor Pathways; Motor Skills; Nature; Nervous system structure; Neurons; Outcome; Output; Pathway interactions; Pattern; Performance; Play; Positioning Attribute; Process; Production; Property; Prosencephalon; Psychological reinforcement; Reliance; Role; Sensory; Shapes; Signal Transduction; Songbirds; Speech; Staging; Stimulus; Structure; Study models; Suggestion; System; Techniques; Testing; Time; Variant; Work; auditory feedback; base; bird song; computerized; disability; experience; innovation; insight; interest; microstimulation; miniaturize; motor control; motor learning; neural patterning; neuromechanism; prevent; reinforcer; relating to nervous system; research study; response; sound; vocal learning; vocalization

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Vocal learning in songbirds provides a useful model for studying how performance-based feedback is used by the nervous system in calibrating and maintaining motor skills, with particular relevance to human speech. Birdsong offers the advantages of a well-described and quantifiable behavior that is subserved by a discrete and extensively investigated set of brain regions. Song learning proceeds in two stages, both of which depend critically on hearing [17, 18]. First, during a period of sensory learning, young birds listen to and memorize the song of an adult 'tutor'. Then, during a period of sensorimotor learning, they use auditory feedback to gradually refine their own initially rambling vocalizations so that they progressively resemble the previously memorized tutor song. Normal song learning requires appropriate experience during a sensitive period in early development, and also relies on auditory feedback in adulthood to maintain precisely calibrated vocal output [4]. The similarities between song and speech in their reliance on auditory feedback suggest that investigations of song learning may provide more general insights into the behavioral and neural mechanisms that govern vocal-motor learning. In addition, we are especially interested in the function of an avian basal ganglia-forebrain circuit (the anterior forebrain pathway or 'AFP') in vocal learning. This circuit plays a central role in feedback-dependent song learning in juvenile and adult birds. Because the AFP can be studied mechanistically in the context of well-defined behavior it may prove to be a particularly tractable model for understanding basal ganglia function more generally. Here, we propose to use the techniques for auditory feedback manipulation that we developed under the previous grant cycle to extend our studies of how vocal behavior in songbirds is shaped by experience (aim 1), determine how the signals that drive learning are represented in the brain (Aim 2) and how they engage basal ganglia circuitry to change song (Aim 3). We will focus on the Bengalese finch, a species that exhibits general properties of vocal learning, but appears to rely particularly strongly on auditory feedback. Songbirds provide a model where the influence of performance-based feedback on a well-defined and quantifiable behavior can be understood at a mechanistic level. Such an understanding will provide basic insight into normal learning processes, with particular relevance to speech, and contribute to our ability to prevent and correct disabilities that arise from dysfunction of these processes. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE We will use songbirds to investigate the neural mechanisms that underlie the influence of auditory feedback on adult vocal learning. Such investigations will provide basic insight into normal learning processes, with particular relevance to human speech, and contribute to our ability to prevent and correct disabilities that arise from dysfunction of these processes. Because vocal learning depends crucially on widely conserved basal ganglia-forebrain circuits, this system additionally may prove an especially tractable one for investigating the general functioning of such circuits in motor control and learning and the deficits that arise under conditions of basal ganglia disease.

描述（由申请人提供）：鸣禽的发声学习提供了一个有用的模型，用于研究神经系统如何使用基于表现的反馈来校准和维持运动技能，特别是与人类语言相关。鸟鸣提供了一个良好的描述和量化的行为，是由一个离散的和广泛的研究大脑区域集的优势。歌曲学习分为两个阶段，这两个阶段都依赖于听觉[17，18]。首先，在感官学习期间，幼鸟会聆听并记住成年“导师”的歌声。然后，在感觉运动学习的一段时间里，他们使用听觉反馈来逐渐完善自己最初漫无边际的发声，使它们逐渐类似于之前记住的导师歌曲。正常的歌曲学习需要在早期发育的敏感时期获得适当的经验，并且还依赖于成年后的听觉反馈来保持精确校准的声音输出[4]。歌曲和语音之间的相似之处，在他们的依赖听觉反馈表明，歌曲学习的调查可能会提供更多的行为和神经机制，支配声乐运动学习的一般见解。此外，我们特别感兴趣的功能，鸟类基底神经节前脑电路（前前脑通路或“AFP”）在声乐学习。该回路在幼鸟和成年鸟的反馈依赖性鸣唱学习中起着核心作用。由于AFP可以在明确定义的行为背景下进行机械研究，因此它可能被证明是一个特别容易理解的模型，用于更普遍地理解基底神经节功能。在这里，我们建议使用我们在上一个资助周期开发的听觉反馈操作技术来扩展我们对鸣禽的发声行为如何由经验塑造的研究（目标1），确定驱动学习的信号如何在大脑中表示（目标2）以及它们如何参与基底神经节电路来改变歌曲（目标3）。我们将重点放在孟加拉雀，一个物种，表现出一般的声音学习的属性，但似乎特别强烈地依赖于听觉反馈。鸣禽提供了一个模型，其中基于性能的反馈对明确定义和可量化的行为的影响可以在机械水平上理解。这样的理解将提供对正常学习过程的基本见解，特别是与语言相关的学习过程，并有助于我们预防和纠正这些过程功能障碍引起的残疾。公共卫生相关性我们将使用鸣禽来研究听觉反馈对成人声乐学习影响的神经机制。这些调查将提供对正常学习过程的基本了解，特别是与人类语言的相关性，并有助于我们预防和纠正这些过程功能障碍引起的残疾。由于声乐学习至关重要地依赖于广泛保守的基底神经节-前脑回路，因此该系统还可以证明是一个特别容易处理的系统，用于研究这种回路在运动控制和学习中的一般功能以及基底神经节疾病条件下出现的缺陷。