The role of experience during the critical period for the development of vocal motor circuits

项目摘要/摘要 在学习发声的物种中，社会经验作用于基因编码 前脑回路使声音模仿成为可能。关键时期限制了这种社会体验 影响发声学习所需的神经回路的发育和功能。在……里面 鸣禽，HVC是形成歌曲记忆所必需的神经回路组件 聆听成人发声模型的社会经验(“辅导”)。然而，HVC也是必要的 关键期后的前运动区。目前还不清楚家教是如何经历的 作用于HVC以允许这种双重的感觉和运动功能。我们的单核RNA测序 结果表明，下丘脑室旁核投射神经元的比例始终在变化。 发展。在感觉关键期，投射到听觉区域的HVC神经元 基底节通路比投射到运动通路的通路多。 我推测，在早期，HVC使用这些不同类型的细胞作为感觉区域 在运动功能成熟之前发育的。因此，我预计前两位 投射神经元类型经历了最多的遗传和电生理变化 与后一种投射神经元类型相比，从社交辅导经验中学习。至 测试这一点，我将检查单细胞表观基因组和来自辅导的转录变化 测量即刻早期基因和与可塑性和可塑性相关基因变化的经验 学习。我还将使用光遗传回路映射来测量突触强度的变化 从辅导经验来看。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT In species that learn vocalizations, social experience acts on genetically encoded forebrain circuits to enable vocal imitation. Critical periods limit when this social experience can influence the development and function of neural circuits required for vocal learning. In songbirds, HVC is a necessary song neurocircuit component to form a song memory from the social experience of hearing an adult vocal model (“tutoring”). Yet, HVC is also necessary as a premotor region after the critical period. It is not well understood how the tutoring experience acts on HVC to allow this dual sensory and motor function. Our single-nucleus RNA-sequencing results demonstrate that the proportion of HVC’s projection neurons change throughout development. During the sensory critical period, HVC neurons that project to the auditory region and basal ganglia pathway are proportionally more than those that project to the motor pathway. I hypothesize that HVC uses these distinct cell types to function as a sensory region early in development prior to the maturation of its motor function. I therefore expect that the two former projection neuron types experience the most genetic and electrophysiological changes related to learning from the social tutoring experience compared to the latter projection neuron type. To test this, I will examine single-cell epigenomic and transcriptional changes from tutoring experience to measure changes in immediate early genes and genes related to plasticity and learning. I will also use optogenetic circuit mapping to measure the changes in synaptic strength from tutoring experience.