NEUROMUSCULAR CONTROL AND MOTOR INTEGRATION OF BIRDSONG

本研究的重点是鸣禽复杂发声交流的运动控制和运动协调。鸟类的歌声产生涉及到发声和呼吸运动系统的协调，因此，代表着一项类似于人类说话和歌唱控制的运动任务。此外，学习歌曲产生的运动模式的方式与人类婴儿的发声学习类似。将研究一些与歌曲的外周运动相关，包括支气管气流模式、注射器下空气压力、肌电和注射器和呼吸肌的声学测量的记录，以照亮发声器官两侧的肌肉以及呼气肌和吸气肌的运动。将首次探索声音和视觉显示的同步。从这项研究中获得的信息不会构成对外围运动模式的描述，但同时概述了中央运动控制的具体任务。自发发声过程中的声学测量信息将为包括人类喉部在内的任何发声系统的肌肉缩短模式提供第一个证据。此外，还将通过比较异种发声模仿的运动相关因素和导师物种的相关运动，来探索发声产生的生理和神经肌肉制约因素。可以解决的具体问题包括用于声音交流的运动手势不变性的变化，对运动性能的生理和形态限制，以及导致偏侧化行为的双边过程。这项研究的综合性将产生广泛的跨学科兴趣的结果，包括神经生物学、呼吸生理学、语言学、神经行为学和进化论等学科。

The proposed research focuses on the motor control and motor coordination of complex vocal communication in songbirds. Song production in birds involve coordination of the vocal and respiratory motor systems and, thus, represents a motor task similar to the control of human speech and singing. Furthermore, motor patterns for song production are learned in a way that parallels vocal learning in human infants. A number of peripheral motor correlates of song, including recordings of bronchial airflow patterns, subsyringeal air ac pressure, electromyography and sonomicrometry of syringeal and respiratory muscles will be studied to illuminate motor the muscles of both sides of the vocal organ as well as the expiratory and inspiratory muscles. Synchronization of vocal and visual displays will be explored for the first time. Information gained from this research will not constitute a description of the peripheral motor patterns but, at the same time, outline the specific tasks of the central motor control. The sonomicrometric information during spontaneous vocal behavior will provide the first evidence on muscle shortening patterns for any vocal system including the human larynx. In addition, physical and neuromuscular constraints on vocal production will be explored by comparing motor correlates of heterospecific vocal mimicry to those of the tutor species. Specific questions that can be addressed include the variance of invariance of motor gestures for acoustic communication, physiological and morphological constraints on motor performance and bilateral processes leading to lateralized behavior. The integrative nature of this research will generate results of wide interdisciplinary interest, including disciplines such as neurobiology, respiratory physiology, linguistics, neuroethology and evolution.