Motor Correlates of Song Plasticity in Adult Songbirds

描述(申请人提供)：BirdSong是一个动物模型系统，用于探索感觉运动整合、学习和记忆以及行为的社会调节问题。该提案旨在加深对声音产生的呼吸和针管运动机制是如何随着声音反馈的改变而改变的理解。我们已经开发出一种降低鸟类发声能力的技术。这项技术可以维持很长一段时间，并且是可逆的。我们建议使用这项技术来改变声反馈，并研究声音产生的马达机制如何随着这种操作的变化而变化。提出了三个实验。第一个实验将比较不同物种在部分静音过程后的歌声变化。第二个实验将描述部分静音手术后呼吸和空洞运动的代偿，最后一个实验将比较耳聋和发声运动神经损伤后呼吸和空洞运动的变化。这一结果将有助于我们进一步理解歌声的可塑性是如何在歌曲的运动关联中表现出来的。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Birdsong is an animal model system for exploring issues in sensorimotor integration, learning and memory, and social modulation of behavior. The proposal seeks to develop an understanding of how respiratory and syringeal motor mechanisms of sound production are changed in response to altered acoustic feedback. We have developed a technique for reducing a bird's ability to vocalize. The technique can be maintained for long periods of time and is reversible. We propose to use this technique to alter acoustic feedback, and to examine how motor mechanisms of sound production change in response to this manipulation. Three experiments are proposed. The first will compare song changes in a variety of species following the partial muting procedure. The second experiment will characterize respiratory and syringeal motor compensation following the partial muting procedure, and the last experiment will compare respiratory and syringeal motor changes after deafening and damage to the vocal motor nerve. The results will be further our understanding of how vocal plasticity is manifested in motor correlates of song.