Flashcards
7-8. Songbird Learning
Cards in this deck (32)
- 1What are song birdsSong birds are a division of MALE birds which can profuce extended vocalizations
e.g hummingbirds Finches, warblers, thrushes, robins, larks
Species studied
-Simple song, easily bred in lab, easy for care
-Zebra finch, white-crowned sparrow, Canary - 2What are the reasons for bird singing?-Establishing territory
-Attracting mates
-Maintaining pair bonds.
-Most complex songs produced by males during breeding - 3When and how are songs sung by birds?Spontaneous: No apparent external stimuli to trigger start and stop
Periodicity: Repeated over and over - 4What is the syrnxProduces the song
-Like the human larynx, which produces speech
-Muscles vibrate air as itpasses through the narrow trachea, generating sound
-Can control tone (vibration) or timing (opening and closing bronchi-passages into lungs and sacs)
-Respiratory muscles control volume (force of air expelled)
-The air comes from a system of sacs- not the lung - 5Describe features of songs-Develops from a juvenile form to an adult form
-Must be learned from an adult tutor
-Song produced is individual, and each bird has a unique repertoire
-Bird does not perfectly copy the tutor
-Birds will incorporate sounds from other birds into the song
-There are local "dialects" in some species. - 6What are song developmental phases1. Sensory phase
2. Sensorimotor phase
3. Crystallisation phase - 7Describe the first phase of song development (sensory phase0-Spring or summer after hatching, bird hears song of nearby tutor birds
-Remembers song until next year when he starts to produce songs
-Only learns own species song
-Must hear tutor song or it is abnormal (isolate song or innate song) lacking complexity
-The first critical period is part of the sensory period bird must hear song before middle of first summer - 8Describe the 2nd phase in song development (sensorimotor phase)-Subsong: Starts with quiet, spontaneous, variable singing (like babbeling)
-Plastic song: Song gets louder, first rehearsal, mixture of different songs, repeated syllables
-The second critical period is part of sensory motor phase, must hear own plastic song
- Can only access memory of song by hearing it sung - 9Describe the tertiary phase of song bird production (crystalised)Crystallized song phase
-Song crystallized into mature form
-Accompanied by testosterone rise - 10Describe some of the variations amongst species for the phases of song production-Zebra finch: phase 1and 2 overlap
-Canaries have to go through practice and crystallization each year
-Some birds don't limit their songs to the sounds of their own species.
-Habitat can vary song within species - 11Why do birds produce so many syllablesPlastic phase they must see what they can produce
-Also respond to social cues from other birds while practicing plastic song
-Remember: hearing their own plastic song is necessary to song development! (Second critical period)
-Action-based learning: The bird learns the song through practice and experimentation. - 12What is innate preference-Birds usually learn their species song over that of another species
- 13Describe social experienceBird raised by foster father of another species will learn that song in preference to its own. Social influence trumps innate preference
-Behavior is both innate and learned. - 14What are the 3 types of nuclei involved in song production1. Auditory processing
2. Motor production of song
3. Learning and developing song pattern
HVC part of all groups - 15Describe the HVC~35000 neurons in adult male of 3 types
1. Stay in HVC
2. Send axon to RA (motor production)
3. Send axon to area X (learning)
When destroyed, adult males cannot sing, but still adopt courtship postures. - 16Describe Auditory processing nuclei-Specializations for song in cortex
Field L: like mammal auditory cortex
Auditory lobule: on either side of field L (song recognition neurons respond to features of learned songs)
HVC: some neurons respond to bird's own song, not other birds' - 17What is the Gene ZenkImmediate early gene and transcription factor
-Immediate early gene: Gene that is activated quickly and transiently following cellular stimuli
Active when hearing Zenk in NCM part of auditory lobule/field L
When zenk is blocked in phase 2, finches can't reproduce tutor song.
Song production requires formation of a sensory memory which requires activation of zink
Cascade (NMDA to CREB to ZENK) - 18Describe motor nucleiRA: projects axons to motor nuclei that innervate syrinx and some respiratory muscles. Execution of actual syllable and is topographically arranged.
-HVC: recruits RA neurons in an order
-nXIIts The hypoglossal nerve controls contraction of syrinx muscle - 19What happens during motor nuclei spikingHVC: starts spiking before song, continues through song, ind. neurons excited for certain syllables. Syllable spikes unique pop. of HVC neurons
-Disruptions interferes with syllable order
RA: Spikes coincide with spec. series of notes
-Only interferes with current syllable - 20Describe the learning and development nucleiArea X: if disrupted, song remains plastic
Medial portion of dorsolateral thalamus (DLM)
Lateral portion of magnocellular nucleus of anterior neostiatum (LMAN) - 21What are mirror neuronsNeurons that connect HVC to area X
-Neurons that fire when performing action and when seeing action performed.
-Monkeys 1996
-Premotor cortex/supplementary= movement planning
-Primary somatosensory area- touch
-Thought to play a role in several functions, including decoding facial emotions, empathy, language and motor learning - 22What is the role of mirror neurons in songbird learning-Fire both when hearing a song and producing a song
-When singing, send copy of motor plan from HVC to area X
-Corollary discharge, for comparison of motor command and auditory feedback (learning through error)
-Fire when hearing a song and producing a song
-Firing while listening enables birds to interpret songs. - 23Where does laterization occur-In humans, language is lateralized to left hemisphere
-Similar in songbirds - 24What is hypoglosal dominanceIn most species cutting the left hypoglossal nerve impairs songs more than cutting right
-If cut before learning to sing, other side can take over - 25Describe hemispheric dominanceLesioning left HVC nerve impairs songs more than lesioning right
-If left HVC is lesioned, function can transfer to right. (requires auditory feedback)
-Need at least 1 HVC! - 26What is sexual diphorsimDifference in appearance or behavior according to sex
-Usually only male sings - 27Describe hormonal regulation in canaries-Seasonal hormone variation regulates singing
-Canaries sing from late winter through spring, but most in spring
-Syllable incorporation peaks in Sept. and march
-In spring, brain areas associated with singing are larger than they are at the start of fall
-Syllable incorporation is preceded by drip in testosterone - 28Describe seasonal variationSeasonal increases in song rep accompanied by increases in size of associated brain areas
- 29What is the effect of hormonal regulation-males castrated in infancy don't develop normal song
-If given testosterone as adults, they will produce crystallized song and song stops when testosterone removed.
-Females given testosterone start singing within 2 weeks. Rep is low, song simple but syllables are like male
-Accompanied with HVC and RA size - 30Describe Song nuclei in female brainCopulation solicitation
-Female's behavioral response to hearing a song
-can distinguish btwn. songs of own species and of foreign birds. Ignore non-species songs
-IIf HVC is bilaterally lesioned, they respond to foreigner
-Song nuclei involved in perception of song - 31Describe neurogenesis in song birdsOccurs in HVC during seasonal song learning in canaries.
Occurs in HVC and Area X during critical periods of sensory and sensorimotor learning for zebrafinch
showed first example of human adult neurogenesis - 32What are the parralels between human language and sonbirds-critical period of development
-Clear developmental stages
-Species specific pref.
Dependent on auditory feedback in early development
-Left lateralized
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- Neuroscience Flashcards on 7-8. Songbird Learning, created by Mimi E on 27/05/2017.
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- Created by Tino Mutasa · May 27, 2017
- Copied by Mimi E · May 27, 2017
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