Behavioural Neurobiology of Avian Communication

这项研究项目考察了环境如何影响鸣禽的行为和大脑。更具体地说，我将研究当地环境的变化，如日长(光周期)或住房条件如何影响男性和女性的发声行为和感知，以及它们如何影响大脑中对唱歌和发声处理至关重要的神经区域。这些神经测量包括新细胞的出生率、对歌曲重要的区域的大小以及神经元对声音刺激的反应性。我将使用两种鸣禽：斑马雀(斑马雀)和黑帽山雀(黑冠山雀)作为互补的模型系统，这些项目可能属于三个独立但相关的目标。我的研究项目的一个目的是研究住房的差异，如丰富程度或一个笼子里的鸟的数量，如何影响神经发生，或新神经元的出生、迁移和存活。第二和第三项研究涉及知觉的季节性变化和对发声知觉重要的神经区域。像山雀这样的温带鸣禽对光周期的变化很敏感：从短白天到长白天的变化会使鸟类受到光刺激(或使它们进入繁殖状态)，而从长白天到短白天的变化会使鸟类不耐光(使鸟类进入非繁殖状态)。繁殖条件反过来影响山雀的行为(例如，歌声产生)和大脑(例如，神经反应的选择性)。我们将继续研究光周期如何影响感知：(1)通过在操作室中测试鸟类自身和其他物种的发声来测试鸟类的感知能力，询问繁殖条件如何影响鸟类辨别声音刺激的能力(2)研究繁殖条件如何影响即刻早期基因Zenk的表达和FoxP2的表达。Zenk是大脑活动的标志，神经区域对声音感知至关重要，FoxP2是声音交流的重要转录因子。作为一个整体，我的研究项目将采用综合、比较和多学科的方法，在行为和神经层面上提供对声音交流的洞察。

This research program examines how environment affects both the behaviour and brain of songbirds. More specifically, I will study how changes in the local environment, such as day length (photoperiod) or housing condition affect male and female vocal behaviour and perception, and how they affect neural regions in the brain that are important for singing and for processing vocalizations. These neural measures include rate of new cell birth, size of regions important for song, and responsiveness of the neurons to acoustic stimuli. I will use two songbird species: zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) as complementary model systems in projects that may fall under three separate but related aims. One aim of my research program studies how differences in housing, such as level of enrichment or number of birds in one cage, affect neurogenesis, or birth, migration, and survival of new neurons. The second and third streams of research relate to seasonal changes in perception and the neural regions important for perception of vocalizations. Temperate songbirds such as chickadees are sensitive to changes in photoperiod: change from short to long days make birds photostimulated (or brings them into breeding condition), and a change from long to short days makes birds photorefractory (brings birds into non-breeding condition). Breeding condition in turn affects chickadee behaviour (e.g. song production) and the brain (e.g. selectivity of neural response). We will continue our research on how photoperiod affects perception by (1) asking how breeding condition affects birds ability to discriminate acoustic stimuli by testing birds perceptual abilities in operant chambers with vocalizations from their own and other species (2) examine how breeding condition affects both expression of the immediate early gene Zenk, a marker of brain activity in neural regions important for vocal perception and expression of FoxP2, a transcription factor important for vocal communication. As a whole my research program will provide insight into vocal communication at both behavioural and neural levels, using an integrative, comparative and multidisciplinary approach.