The molecular basis for developmental sensory learning

描述(由申请人提供)： 与人类相似，鸣禽在发育敏感时期从成人导师那里学习有意义的发声是最有效的。虽然在理解发声产生的运动控制方面已经取得了进展，但在发声结构之前的感觉记忆和直接发声结构的神经机制大多是未知的。在像斑马雀这样的鸣禽中，前脑听觉小叶(AL)是哺乳动物初级和次级听觉皮质的功能同系物，参与成年歌曲的识别，并保留着青少年时期听到的辅导歌曲的痕迹。因此，AL可能是发育中的感觉辅导歌曲学习所必需的。此外，基因表达研究表明，只有在成年鸣禽学习相关环境中诱导的基因才在发育歌曲学习的感觉阶段在AL中结构性表达。因此，假设AL和AL中发育和经验调控的基因表达对于发育过程中最佳的感觉歌曲学习是必要的。为了验证这一假设，本研究设计了三个研究：(1)行为测试AL和AL内的分子过程是教师记忆歌曲所必需的；(2)沉默AL中的个别基因以测试它们在发育中的感觉歌曲学习中的功能；(3)识别和确认一组可能塑造AL以实现最佳感觉学习的基因。这些研究形成了对感官歌曲学习的分子事件的全面和连贯的调查，这是歌曲发声的基础。对于这些研究来说，斑马雀是一个非常有用的模型，因为一些感觉歌曲学习发生在发声开始之前，可以将感觉从发育歌曲学习的运动和感觉运动成分中分离出来。AL和许多基因的功能在进化上是保守的，因此这些实验的结果不仅适用于鸣禽研究人员，也适用于那些对人类语言习得感兴趣的人。&gt；沟通能力是基本的，大多数人使用语音沟通来驾驭他们复杂的社交生活。发声学习在早期生命中是最有效的，其进展类似于鸟类学习歌唱的过程，人类和鸟类都主要依靠对他们听到的发声的感觉处理来塑造自己的发声。因此，鸣禽导师鸣声感觉学习的研究为人类语言习得的听觉机制提供了重要的见解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Similar to humans, songbirds learn meaningful vocalizations from an adult tutor most effectively during a sensitive period of development. While advancements have been made in understanding the motor control of vocal production, the neural mechanisms for the sensory memories that precede and direct vocal structure are mostly undefined. In songbirds like the zebra finch, the forebrain auditory lobule (AL), the functional homologue of mammalian primary and secondary auditory cortices, is involved in adult song recognition and holds a trace of the tutor song heard during juvenile life. Thus, it may be that AL is required for developmental sensory tutor song learning. Further, gene expression studies demonstrate that genes only induced in learning-related contexts in adult songbirds are constitutively expressed in AL during the sensory phase of developmental song learning. Therefore, the hypothesis was that AL, and developmentally and experientially regulated gene expression in AL, are necessary for optimal sensory song learning during development. To test this hypothesis, three studies were designed to (1) behaviorally test that AL and molecular processes within AL are required for tutor song memorization, (2) silence individual genes in AL to test their function in developmental sensory song learning, and (3) identify and confirm a suite of genes that may shape the AL for optimal sensory learning. These studies form a comprehensive and cohesive investigation of the molecular events underlying the sensory song learning that is the foundation for song vocalizations. The zebra finch is a very useful model for these studies because some sensory song learning occurs before vocalization begins, allowing the dissection of sensory from motor and sensorimotor components of developmental song learning. The function of AL and many genes are evolutionarily conserved, thus results of these experiments have application not only to songbird researchers but also those interested in human language acquisition. > The ability to communicate is fundamental, and most people use vocal communication to navigate through their complex social lives. Vocal learning is most efficient during early life, progresses similarly to how birds learn song, and both people and birds rely primarily upon sensory processing of the vocalizations they hear to shape their own vocalizations. Thus, the study of sensory learning of tutor song in songbirds provides important insights into auditory mechanisms underlying human language acquisition.