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Safarcharati Z, Bahramani A, Mokari Amjad P, Ravanbakhsh M, Raoufy MR, Khademian M. Context-dependent modulations in zebra finch distance calls revealed by a novel goal-directed vocalization paradigm. Sci Rep 2025; 15:8572. [PMID: 40075173 PMCID: PMC11903849 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-93105-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2025] [Indexed: 03/14/2025] Open
Abstract
Songbirds are renowned for their complex vocal communication abilities; among them, zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) are a key species for studying vocal learning and communication. Zebra finches use various calls with different meanings, including the distance call, which is used for long-distance contact. Whether these calls are static with fixed meanings or flexible remains an open question. In this study we aimed to answer this question by designing a novel behavioral paradigm, in which we trained food-restricted zebra finches to use distance calls for food request. Nine out of ten birds learned this association and used their distance calls to obtain food when they were hungry. We then introduced a visually-separated audience and compared the distance calls used for food requests with those used for communication between birds. Our analyses revealed significant acoustic differences in power, pitch, and other spectral characteristics between the distance calls uttered in these two contexts, with calls directed at conspecifics exhibiting higher amplitude. Our findings suggest that zebra finches can use their distance call for different goals and also acoustically modulate it based on the context. Therefore, it demonstrates a level of vocal control thought to be exclusive to songs. This study enhances our understanding of vocal flexibility and its role in vocal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zohreh Safarcharati
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, 1956836484, Iran.
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Technologies, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Amirreza Bahramani
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, 1956836484, Iran
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, 1458889694, Iran
- Sharif Brain Center, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, 1458889694, Iran
| | - Pouya Mokari Amjad
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, 1956836484, Iran
| | - Mahsa Ravanbakhsh
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, 1956836484, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Raoufy
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, 1956836484, Iran.
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
- Institute for Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mahdi Khademian
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, 1956836484, Iran.
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2
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Fortkord L, Veit L. Social context affects sequence modification learning in birdsong. Front Psychol 2025; 16:1488762. [PMID: 39973966 PMCID: PMC11835814 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1488762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2024] [Accepted: 01/13/2025] [Indexed: 02/21/2025] Open
Abstract
Social interactions are crucial for imitative vocal learning such as human speech learning or song learning in songbirds. Recently, introducing specific learned modifications into adult song by experimenter-controlled reinforcement learning has emerged as a key protocol to study aspects of vocal learning in songbirds. This form of adult plasticity does not require conspecifics as a model for imitation or to provide social feedback on song performance. We therefore hypothesized that social interactions are irrelevant to, or even inhibit, song modification learning. We tested whether social context affects song sequence learning in adult male Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata domestica). We targeted specific syllable sequences in adult birds' songs with negative auditory feedback, which led the birds to reduce the targeted syllable sequence in favor of alternate sequences. Changes were apparent in catch trials without feedback, indicating a learning process. Each experiment was repeated within subjects with three different social contexts (male-male, MM; male-female, MF; and male alone, MA) in randomized order. We found robust learning in all three social contexts, with a nonsignificant trend toward facilitated learning with social company (MF, MM) compared to the single-housed (MA) condition. This effect could not be explained by the order of social contexts, nor by different singing rates across contexts. Our results demonstrate that social context can influence degree of learning in adult birds even in experimenter-controlled reinforcement learning tasks, and therefore suggest that social interactions might facilitate song plasticity beyond their known role for imitation and social feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lena Veit
- Neurobiology of Vocal Communication, Institute for Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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3
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Zai AT, Stepien AE, Giret N, Hahnloser RHR. Goal-directed vocal planning in a songbird. eLife 2024; 12:RP90445. [PMID: 38959057 PMCID: PMC11221833 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Songbirds' vocal mastery is impressive, but to what extent is it a result of practice? Can they, based on experienced mismatch with a known target, plan the necessary changes to recover the target in a practice-free manner without intermittently singing? In adult zebra finches, we drive the pitch of a song syllable away from its stable (baseline) variant acquired from a tutor, then we withdraw reinforcement and subsequently deprive them of singing experience by muting or deafening. In this deprived state, birds do not recover their baseline song. However, they revert their songs toward the target by about 1 standard deviation of their recent practice, provided the sensory feedback during the latter signaled a pitch mismatch with the target. Thus, targeted vocal plasticity does not require immediate sensory experience, showing that zebra finches are capable of goal-directed vocal planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja T Zai
- Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Anna E Stepien
- Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Nicolas Giret
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, UMR 9197 CNRS, Université Paris-SaclaySaclayFrance
| | - Richard HR Hahnloser
- Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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4
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Koparkar A, Warren TL, Charlesworth JD, Shin S, Brainard MS, Veit L. Lesions in a songbird vocal circuit increase variability in song syntax. eLife 2024; 13:RP93272. [PMID: 38635312 PMCID: PMC11026095 DOI: 10.7554/elife.93272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Complex skills like speech and dance are composed of ordered sequences of simpler elements, but the neuronal basis for the syntactic ordering of actions is poorly understood. Birdsong is a learned vocal behavior composed of syntactically ordered syllables, controlled in part by the songbird premotor nucleus HVC (proper name). Here, we test whether one of HVC's recurrent inputs, mMAN (medial magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium), contributes to sequencing in adult male Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata domestica). Bengalese finch song includes several patterns: (1) chunks, comprising stereotyped syllable sequences; (2) branch points, where a given syllable can be followed probabilistically by multiple syllables; and (3) repeat phrases, where individual syllables are repeated variable numbers of times. We found that following bilateral lesions of mMAN, acoustic structure of syllables remained largely intact, but sequencing became more variable, as evidenced by 'breaks' in previously stereotyped chunks, increased uncertainty at branch points, and increased variability in repeat numbers. Our results show that mMAN contributes to the variable sequencing of vocal elements in Bengalese finch song and demonstrate the influence of recurrent projections to HVC. Furthermore, they highlight the utility of species with complex syntax in investigating neuronal control of ordered sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avani Koparkar
- Neurobiology of Vocal Communication, Institute for Neurobiology, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Timothy L Warren
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Departments of Horticulture and Integrative Biology, Oregon State UniversityCorvallisUnited States
| | - Jonathan D Charlesworth
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Sooyoon Shin
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Michael S Brainard
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Lena Veit
- Neurobiology of Vocal Communication, Institute for Neurobiology, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
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5
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Tian LY, Warren TL, Mehaffey WH, Brainard MS. Dynamic top-down biasing implements rapid adaptive changes to individual movements. eLife 2023; 12:e83223. [PMID: 37733005 PMCID: PMC10513479 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Complex behaviors depend on the coordinated activity of neural ensembles in interconnected brain areas. The behavioral function of such coordination, often measured as co-fluctuations in neural activity across areas, is poorly understood. One hypothesis is that rapidly varying co-fluctuations may be a signature of moment-by-moment task-relevant influences of one area on another. We tested this possibility for error-corrective adaptation of birdsong, a form of motor learning which has been hypothesized to depend on the top-down influence of a higher-order area, LMAN (lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium), in shaping moment-by-moment output from a primary motor area, RA (robust nucleus of the arcopallium). In paired recordings of LMAN and RA in singing birds, we discovered a neural signature of a top-down influence of LMAN on RA, quantified as an LMAN-leading co-fluctuation in activity between these areas. During learning, this co-fluctuation strengthened in a premotor temporal window linked to the specific movement, sequential context, and acoustic modification associated with learning. Moreover, transient perturbation of LMAN activity specifically within this premotor window caused rapid occlusion of pitch modifications, consistent with LMAN conveying a temporally localized motor-biasing signal. Combined, our results reveal a dynamic top-down influence of LMAN on RA that varies on the rapid timescale of individual movements and is flexibly linked to contexts associated with learning. This finding indicates that inter-area co-fluctuations can be a signature of dynamic top-down influences that support complex behavior and its adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Y Tian
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Timothy L Warren
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - William H Mehaffey
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Michael S Brainard
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
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6
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Fujimoto H, Hasegawa T. Reversible inhibition of the basal ganglia prolongs repetitive vocalization but only weakly affects sequencing at branch points in songbirds. Cereb Cortex Commun 2023; 4:tgad016. [PMID: 37675437 PMCID: PMC10477706 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgad016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Although vocal signals, including languages and songbird syllables, are composed of a finite number of acoustic elements, diverse vocal sequences are composed of a combination of these elements, which are linked together by syntactic rules. However, the neural basis of syntactic vocalization generation remains poorly understood. Here, we report that inhibition using tetrodotoxin (TTX) and manipulations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors within the basal ganglia Area X or lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (LMAN) alter and prolong repetitive vocalization in Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata var. domestica). These results suggest that repetitive vocalizations are modulated by the basal ganglia and not solely by higher motor cortical neurons. These data highlight the importance of neural circuits, including the basal ganglia, in the production of stereotyped repetitive vocalizations and demonstrate that dynamic disturbances within the basal ganglia circuitry can differentially affect the repetitive temporal features of songs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisataka Fujimoto
- Department of Anatomy, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama 701-0192, Japan
| | - Taku Hasegawa
- Laboratory for Imagination and Executive functions, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wakoshi, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
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7
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Han X, Tang Y, Zhang Y, Zhang J, Hu Z, Xu W, Xu S, Niu Q. Impaired V-ATPase leads to increased lysosomal pH, results in disrupted lysosomal degradation and autophagic flux blockage, contributes to fluoride-induced developmental neurotoxicity. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 236:113500. [PMID: 35421827 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Fluoride is capable of inducing developmental neurotoxicity, yet its mechanisms remain elusive. We aimed to explore the possible role and mechanism of autophagic flux blockage caused by abnormal lysosomal pH in fluoride-induced developmental neurotoxicity, focusing on the role of V-ATPase in regulating the neuronal lysosomal pH. Using Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to sodium fluoride (NaF) from gestation through delivery until the neonatal offspring reached six months of age as an in vivo model. The results showed that NaF impaired the cognitive abilities of the offspring rats. In addition, NaF reduced V-ATPase expression, diminished lysosomal degradation capacity and blocked autophagic flux, and increased apoptosis in the hippocampus of offspring. Consistently, these results were validated in SH-SY5Y cells incubated with NaF. Moreover, NaF increased the SH-SY5Y lysosomal pH. Mechanistically, V-ATPase B2 overexpression and ATP effectively restored V-ATPase expression, reducing NaF-induced lysosomal alkalinization while increasing lysosomal degradation capacity. Notably, those above pharmacological and molecular interventions diminished NaF-induced apoptosis by restoring autophagic flux. Collectively, the present findings suggested that NaF impairs the lysosomal pH raised by V-ATPase. This leads to reduced lysosomal degradation capacity and triggers autophagic flux blockage and apoptosis, thus contributing to neuronal death. Therefore, V-ATPase might be a promising indicator of developmental fluoride neurotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xie Han
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases (Ministry of Education), School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Central Asia High Incidence Diseases (First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Shihezi University), People's Republic of China
| | - Yanling Tang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases (Ministry of Education), School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Central Asia High Incidence Diseases (First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Shihezi University), People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanli Zhang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases (Ministry of Education), School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Central Asia High Incidence Diseases (First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Shihezi University), People's Republic of China
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases (Ministry of Education), School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Central Asia High Incidence Diseases (First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Shihezi University), People's Republic of China
| | - Zeyu Hu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases (Ministry of Education), School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Central Asia High Incidence Diseases (First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Shihezi University), People's Republic of China
| | - Wanjing Xu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases (Ministry of Education), School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Central Asia High Incidence Diseases (First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Shihezi University), People's Republic of China
| | - Shangzhi Xu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases (Ministry of Education), School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Central Asia High Incidence Diseases (First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Shihezi University), People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Niu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Endemic and Ethnic Diseases (Ministry of Education), School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Central Asia High Incidence Diseases (First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Shihezi University), People's Republic of China.
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8
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Cornez G, Valle S, dos Santos EB, Chiver I, Müller W, Ball GF, Cornil CA, Balthazart J. Perineuronal nets in HVC and plasticity in male canary song. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252560. [PMID: 34449793 PMCID: PMC8396724 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Songbirds learn their vocalizations during developmental sensitive periods of song memorization and sensorimotor learning. Some seasonal songbirds, called open-ended learners, recapitulate transitions from sensorimotor learning and song crystallization on a seasonal basis during adulthood. In adult male canaries, sensorimotor learning occurs each year in autumn and leads to modifications of the syllable repertoire during successive breeding seasons. We previously showed that perineuronal nets (PNN) expression in song control nuclei decreases during this sensorimotor learning period. Here we explored the causal link between PNN expression in adult canaries and song modification by enzymatically degrading PNN in HVC, a key song control system nucleus. Three independent experiments identified limited effects of the PNN degradation in HVC on the song structure of male canaries. They clearly establish that presence of PNN in HVC is not required to maintain general features of crystallized song. Some suggestion was collected that PNN are implicated in the stability of song repertoires but this evidence is too preliminary to draw firm conclusions and additional investigations should consider producing PNN degradations at specified time points of the seasonal cycle. It also remains possible that once song has been crystallized at the beginning of the first breeding season, PNN no longer play a key role in determining song structure; this could be tested by treatments with chondroitinase ABC at key steps in ontogeny. It would in this context be important to develop multiple stereotaxic procedures allowing the simultaneous bilateral degradation of PNN in several song control nuclei for extended periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles Cornez
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Shelley Valle
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Ednei Barros dos Santos
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Ioana Chiver
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Wendt Müller
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Gregory F. Ball
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Maryland, College Park, MD, United States of America
| | - Charlotte A. Cornil
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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9
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Xiao L, Merullo DP, Koch TMI, Cao M, Co M, Kulkarni A, Konopka G, Roberts TF. Expression of FoxP2 in the basal ganglia regulates vocal motor sequences in the adult songbird. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2617. [PMID: 33976169 PMCID: PMC8113549 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22918-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Disruption of the transcription factor FoxP2, which is enriched in the basal ganglia, impairs vocal development in humans and songbirds. The basal ganglia are important for the selection and sequencing of motor actions, but the circuit mechanisms governing accurate sequencing of learned vocalizations are unknown. Here, we show that expression of FoxP2 in the basal ganglia is vital for the fluent initiation and termination of birdsong, as well as the maintenance of song syllable sequencing in adulthood. Knockdown of FoxP2 imbalances dopamine receptor expression across striatal direct-like and indirect-like pathways, suggesting a role of dopaminergic signaling in regulating vocal motor sequencing. Confirming this prediction, we show that phasic dopamine activation, and not inhibition, during singing drives repetition of song syllables, thus also impairing fluent initiation and termination of birdsong. These findings demonstrate discrete circuit origins for the dysfluent repetition of vocal elements in songbirds, with implications for speech disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xiao
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Devin P Merullo
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Therese M I Koch
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Mou Cao
- Department of Pediatrics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Marissa Co
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | | | - Genevieve Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Todd F Roberts
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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10
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Saravanan V, Berman GJ, Sober SJ. Application of the hierarchical bootstrap to multi-level data in neuroscience. NEURONS, BEHAVIOR, DATA ANALYSIS AND THEORY 2020; 3:https://nbdt.scholasticahq.com/article/13927-application-of-the-hierarchical-bootstrap-to-multi-level-data-in-neuroscience. [PMID: 33644783 PMCID: PMC7906290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A common feature in many neuroscience datasets is the presence of hierarchical data structures, most commonly recording the activity of multiple neurons in multiple animals across multiple trials. Accordingly, the measurements constituting the dataset are not independent, even though the traditional statistical analyses often applied in such cases (e.g., Student's t-test) treat them as such. The hierarchical bootstrap has been shown to be an effective tool to accurately analyze such data and while it has been used extensively in the statistical literature, its use is not widespread in neuroscience - despite the ubiquity of hierarchical datasets. In this paper, we illustrate the intuitiveness and utility of this approach to analyze hierarchically nested datasets. We use simulated neural data to show that traditional statistical tests can result in a false positive rate of over 45%, even if the Type-I error rate is set at 5%. While summarizing data across non-independent points (or lower levels) can potentially fix this problem, this approach greatly reduces the statistical power of the analysis. The hierarchical bootstrap, when applied sequentially over the levels of the hierarchical structure, keeps the Type-I error rate within the intended bound and retains more statistical power than summarizing methods. We conclude by demonstrating the effectiveness of the method in two real-world examples, first analyzing singing data in male Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata var. domestica) and second quantifying changes in behavior under optogenetic control in flies (Drosophila melanogaster).
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun Saravanan
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, 30322
| | - Gordon J Berman
- Department of Biology, Emory University, 30322
- Department of Physics, Emory University, 30322
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11
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Optimal spectral templates for triggered feedback experiments. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228512. [PMID: 32343694 PMCID: PMC7188275 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In the field of songbird neuroscience, researchers have used playback of aversive noise bursts to drive changes in song behavior for specific syllables within a bird’s song. Typically, a short (~5–10 msec) slice of the syllable is selected for targeting and the average spectrum of the slice is used as a template. Sounds that are sufficiently close to the template are considered a match. If other syllables have portions that are spectrally similar to the target, false positive errors will weaken the operant contingency. We present a gradient descent method for template optimization that increases the separation in distance between target and distractors slices, greatly improving targeting accuracy. Applied to songs from five adult Bengalese finches, the fractional reduction in errors for sub-syllabic slices was 51.54±22.92%. At the level of song syllables, we use an error metric that controls for the vastly greater number of distractors vs. target syllables. Setting 5% average error (misses + false positives) as a minimal performance criterion, the number of targetable syllables increased from 3 to 16 out of 61 syllables. At 10% error, targetable syllables increased from 11 to 26. By using simple and robust linear discriminant methods, the algorithm reaches near asymptotic performance when using 10 songs as training data, and the error increases by <2.3% on average when using only a single song for training. Targeting is temporally precise, with average jitter of 3.33 msec for the 16 accurately targeted syllables. Because the algorithm is concerned only with the problem of template selection, it can be used as a simple and robust front end for existing hardware and software implementations for triggered feedback.
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12
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Isola GR, Vochin A, Sakata JT. Manipulations of inhibition in cortical circuitry differentially affect spectral and temporal features of Bengalese finch song. J Neurophysiol 2020; 123:815-830. [PMID: 31967928 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00142.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The interplay between inhibition and excitation can regulate behavioral expression and control, including the expression of communicative behaviors like birdsong. Computational models postulate varying degrees to which inhibition within vocal motor circuitry influences birdsong, but few studies have tested these models by manipulating inhibition. Here we enhanced and attenuated inhibition in the cortical nucleus HVC (used as proper name) of Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata var. domestica). Enhancement of inhibition (with muscimol) in HVC dose-dependently reduced the amount of song produced. Infusions of higher concentrations of muscimol caused some birds to produce spectrally degraded songs, whereas infusions of lower doses of muscimol led to the production of relatively normal (nondegraded) songs. However, the spectral and temporal structures of these nondegraded songs were significantly different from songs produced under control conditions. In particular, muscimol infusions decreased the frequency and amplitude of syllables, increased various measures of acoustic entropy, and increased the variability of syllable structure. Muscimol also increased sequence durations and the variability of syllable timing and syllable sequencing. Attenuation of inhibition (with bicuculline) in HVC led to changes to song distinct from and often opposite to enhancing inhibition. For example, in contrast to muscimol, bicuculline infusions increased syllable amplitude, frequency, and duration and decreased the variability of acoustic features. However, like muscimol, bicuculline increased the variability of syllable sequencing. These data highlight the importance of inhibition to the production of stereotyped vocalizations and demonstrate that changes to neural dynamics within cortical circuitry can differentially affect spectral and temporal features of song.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We reveal that manipulations of inhibition in the cortical nucleus HVC affect the structure, timing, and sequencing of syllables in Bengalese finch song. Enhancing and blocking inhibition led to opposite changes to the acoustic structure and timing of vocalizations, but both caused similar changes to vocal sequencing. These data provide support for computational models of song control but also motivate refinement of existing models to account for differential effects on syllable structure, timing, and sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav R Isola
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Anca Vochin
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jon T Sakata
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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13
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New Insights into the Avian Song System and Neuronal Control of Learned Vocalizations. THE NEUROETHOLOGY OF BIRDSONG 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-34683-6_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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14
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Volitional control of vocalizations in corvid songbirds. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000375. [PMID: 31454343 PMCID: PMC6711494 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Songbirds are renowned for their acoustically elaborate songs. However, it is unclear whether songbirds can cognitively control their vocal output. Here, we show that crows, songbirds of the corvid family, can be trained to exert control over their vocalizations. In a detection task, three male carrion crows rapidly learned to emit vocalizations in response to a visual cue with no inherent meaning (go trials) and to withhold vocalizations in response to another cue (catch trials). Two of these crows were then trained on a go/nogo task, with the cue colors reversed, in addition to being rewarded for withholding vocalizations to yet another cue (nogo trials). Vocalizations in response to the detection of the go cue were temporally precise and highly reliable in all three crows. Crows also quickly learned to withhold vocal output in nogo trials, showing that vocalizations were not produced by an anticipation of a food reward in correct trials. The results demonstrate that corvids can volitionally control the release and onset of their vocalizations, suggesting that songbird vocalizations are under cognitive control and can be decoupled from affective states. Songbirds are renowned for their acoustically elaborate songs, but it is unclear whether they have cognitive control over their vocal output. Using operant conditioning, this study shows that carrion crows, songbirds of the corvid family, can exert control over their vocalizations.
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15
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Kearney MG, Warren TL, Hisey E, Qi J, Mooney R. Discrete Evaluative and Premotor Circuits Enable Vocal Learning in Songbirds. Neuron 2019; 104:559-575.e6. [PMID: 31447169 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Virtuosic motor performance requires the ability to evaluate and modify individual gestures within a complex motor sequence. Where and how the evaluative and premotor circuits operate within the brain to enable such temporally precise learning is poorly understood. Songbirds can learn to modify individual syllables within their complex vocal sequences, providing a system for elucidating the underlying evaluative and premotor circuits. We combined behavioral and optogenetic methods to identify 2 afferents to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) that serve evaluative roles in syllable-specific learning and to establish that downstream cortico-basal ganglia circuits serve a learning role that is only premotor. Furthermore, song performance-contingent optogenetic stimulation of either VTA afferent was sufficient to drive syllable-specific learning, and these learning effects were of opposite valence. Finally, functional, anatomical, and molecular studies support the idea that these evaluative afferents bidirectionally modulate VTA dopamine neurons to enable temporally precise vocal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Gene Kearney
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Timothy L Warren
- Institute of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Erin Hisey
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Jiaxuan Qi
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Richard Mooney
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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16
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Spatial suppression promotes rapid figure-ground segmentation of moving objects. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2732. [PMID: 31266956 PMCID: PMC6606582 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10653-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Segregation of objects from their backgrounds is a fundamental visual function and one that is particularly effective when objects are in motion. Theoretically, suppressive center-surround mechanisms are well suited for accomplishing motion segregation. This longstanding hypothesis, however, has received limited empirical support. We report converging correlational and causal evidence that spatial suppression of background motion signals is critical for rapid segmentation of moving objects. Motion segregation ability is strongly predicted by both individual and stimulus-driven variations in spatial suppression strength. Moreover, aging-related superiority in perceiving background motion is associated with profound impairments in motion segregation. This segregation deficit is alleviated via perceptual learning, but only when motion segregation training also causes decreased sensitivity to background motion. We argue that perceptual insensitivity to large moving stimuli effectively implements background subtraction, which, in turn, enhances the visibility of moving objects and accounts for the observed link between spatial suppression and motion segregation. The visual system excels at segregating moving objects from their backgrounds, a key visual function hypothesized to be driven by suppressive centre-surround mechanisms. Here, the authors show that spatial suppression of background motion signals is critical for rapid segmentation of moving objects.
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17
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Saravanan V, Hoffmann LA, Jacob AL, Berman GJ, Sober SJ. Dopamine Depletion Affects Vocal Acoustics and Disrupts Sensorimotor Adaptation in Songbirds. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0190-19.2019. [PMID: 31126913 PMCID: PMC6565373 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0190-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopamine is hypothesized to convey error information in reinforcement learning tasks with explicit appetitive or aversive cues. However, during motor skill learning feedback signals arise from an animal's evaluation of sensory feedback resulting from its own behavior, rather than any external reward or punishment. It has previously been shown that intact dopaminergic signaling from the ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra pars compacta (VTA/SNc) complex is necessary for vocal learning when songbirds modify their vocalizations to avoid hearing distorted auditory feedback (playbacks of white noise). However, it remains unclear whether dopaminergic signaling underlies vocal learning in response to more naturalistic errors (pitch-shifted feedback delivered via headphones). We used male Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata var. domestica) to test the hypothesis that the necessity of dopamine signaling is shared between the two types of learning. We combined 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions of dopaminergic terminals within Area X, a basal ganglia nucleus critical for song learning, with a headphones learning paradigm that shifted the pitch of auditory feedback and compared their learning to that of unlesioned controls. We found that 6-OHDA lesions affected song behavior in two ways. First, over a period of days lesioned birds systematically lowered their pitch regardless of the presence or absence of auditory errors. Second, 6-OHDA lesioned birds also displayed severe deficits in sensorimotor learning in response to pitch-shifted feedback. Our results suggest roles for dopamine in both motor production and auditory error processing, and a shared mechanism underlying vocal learning in response to both distorted and pitch-shifted auditory feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun Saravanan
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Lukas A Hoffmann
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Amanda L Jacob
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Gordon J Berman
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
- Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Samuel J Sober
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
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18
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Dopaminergic regulation of vocal-motor plasticity and performance. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 54:127-133. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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19
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van Vugt FT, Ostry DJ. From known to unknown: moving to unvisited locations in a novel sensorimotor map. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1423:10.1111/nyas.13608. [PMID: 29500930 PMCID: PMC6120807 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Sensorimotor learning requires knowledge of the relationship between movements and sensory effects: a sensorimotor map. Generally, these mappings are not innate but have to be learned. During learning, the challenge is to build a continuous map from a set of discrete observations, that is, predict locations of novel targets. One hypothesis is that the learner linearly interpolates among discrete observations that are already in the map. Here, this hypothesis is tested by exposing human subjects to a novel mapping between arm movements and sounds. Participants were passively moved to the edges of the workspace receiving the corresponding sounds and then were presented intermediate sounds and asked to make movements to locations they thought corresponded to those sounds. It is observed that average movements roughly match linear interpolation of the space. However, the actual distribution of participants' movements is best described by a bimodal reaching strategy in which they move to one of two locations near the workspace edge where they had prior exposure to the sound-movement pairing. These results suggest that interpolation happens to a limited extent only and that the acquisition of sensorimotor maps may not be driven by interpolation but instead relies on a flexible recombination of instance-based learning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David J. Ostry
- Psychology Department, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
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20
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Farias-Virgens M, White SA. A Sing-Song Way of Vocalizing: Generalization and Specificity in Language and Birdsong. Neuron 2017; 96:958-960. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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