Social Modulation of Sequence and Syllable Variability in Adult Birdsong

Sakata, Jon T.; Hampton, Cara M.; Brainard, Michael S.

doi:10.1152/jn.01296.2007

Cited by 100 publications

(175 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…For example, the zebra finch male (the "mouse" of birdsong neuroethology) learns and produces only a single song over its entire life. However, when courting a female, there are subtle differences in the performance of that song: singing becomes slightly faster and more stereotyped (24,25). Femaledirected vs. undirected song appear to differ also in their patterns of song system immediate-early gene expression.…”

Section: Role Of Behavioral Quantification In Achieving Integration Amentioning

confidence: 99%

“…pathway in the subtle exploratory noise (variability in song structure) that the bird generates during undirected song, but not during female-directed song, when perfect performance is desired (24,25,29). Here again, the ability to describe singing behavior in detail, and thus characterize the subtle differences between directed and undirected song, was the foundation for the ability to associate these differences with genetic and neural mechanisms.…”

Section: Role Of Behavioral Quantification In Achieving Integration Amentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantification of developmental birdsong learning from the subsyllabic scale to cultural evolution

Lipkind

Tchernichovski

2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Quantitative analysis of behavior plays an important role in birdsong neuroethology, serving as a common denominator in studies spanning molecular to system-level investigation of sensory-motor conversion, developmental learning, and pattern generation in the brain. In this review, we describe the role of behavioral analysis in facilitating cross-level integration. Modern sound analysis approaches allow investigation of developmental song learning across multiple time scales. Combined with novel methods that allow experimental control of vocal changes, it is now possible to test hypotheses about mechanisms of vocal learning. Further, song analysis can be done at the population level across generations to track cultural evolution and multigenerational behavioral processes. Complementing the investigation of song development with noninvasive brain imaging technology makes it now possible to study behavioral dynamics at multiple levels side by side with developmental changes in brain connectivity and in auditory responses.B irdsong neuroethology is a small but diverse and influential subfield of neuroscience, studied in ∼100 laboratories, and covering a range of research areas spanning the molecular to the organismal levels of investigation. The quantification of singing behavior has been a common denominator across most of those studies. Over the past four decades, birdsong neuroethology has made tremendous gains by incorporating existing tools for representing and analyzing sound (1). The sonogram (Fig. 1A) (2-4) provides an excellent descriptive model of singing behavior, and over the past decade several analysis approaches were developed that allow automatic segmentation categorization and comparison of vocal sounds (5-9). In this review, we describe the role of behavioral analysis in the progress made in birdsong neuroethology research.The past 20 y or so have seen rapid progress in understanding the neural and molecular processes involved in song. However, this progress was preceded by a long tradition of quantifying singing behavior (10, 11). Birdsong is uniquely amenable and attractive for behavioral analysis for a number of reasons: adult song is a structured behavior, repeated with a high degree of stereotypy (Fig. 1A). This makes it relatively easy to detect and characterize song structure and components (e.g., notes, syllables, motifs, and phrases) to align song renditions to each other, to assess the degree of similarity between songs, and, ultimately, to relate singing behavior to neuronal events and thus elucidate underlying neural mechanisms. We start by reviewing the role of behavioral quantification in achieving integration across levels of investigation. We then present a short outline of sound analysis techniques currently used for the tracking of developmental song learning, and an experimental approach for hypothesis-driven investigation of song development. Finally, we present a generalization of behavioral analysis to the population and cross-generation levels, and propose some ideas about n...

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Section: Role Of Behavioral Quantification In Achieving Integration Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Role Of Behavioral Quantification In Achieving Integration Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification of developmental birdsong learning from the subsyllabic scale to cultural evolution

Lipkind

Tchernichovski

2011

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Once the song has been learned, it becomes relatively stable or "crystallized," yet retains variability. Mounting evidence in adult songbirds indicates that such song variability is actively driven by the brain, suggesting that it continues to serve a function even following song crystallization (Bottjer 2004;Hessler and Doupe 1999;Jarvis et al 1998;Kao and Brainard 2006;Kao et al 2005;Sakata et al 2008;Sober et al 2008;Teramitsu and White 2006;Tumer and Brainard 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both types of variability are actively modulated by social context. Specifically, the variability of syllable structure and of syllable sequencing is reduced when male songbirds sing courtship songs to females [female-directed (FD) song] relative to when they sing in isolation [undirected (UD) song; Kao and Brainard 2006;Sakata et al 2008;Sossinka and Böhner 1980].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Avian Basal Ganglia-Forebrain Circuit Contributes Differentially to Syllable Versus Sequence Variability of Adult Bengalese Finch Song

Hampton

Sakata

Brainard

2009

Journal of Neurophysiology

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123

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Hampton CM, Sakata JT, Brainard MS. An avian basal ganglia-forebrain circuit contributes differentially to syllable versus sequence variability of adult Bengalese finch song. J Neurophysiol 101: 3235-3245, 2009. First published April 8, 2009 doi:10.1152/jn.91089.2008. Behavioral variability is important for motor skill learning but continues to be present and actively regulated even in well-learned behaviors. In adult songbirds, two types of song variability can persist and are modulated by social context: variability in syllable structure and variability in syllable sequencing. The degree to which the control of both types of adult variability is shared or distinct remains unknown. The output of a basal ganglia-forebrain circuit, LMAN (the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium), has been implicated in song variability. For example, in adult zebra finches, neurons in LMAN actively control the variability of syllable structure. It is unclear, however, whether LMAN contributes to variability in adult syllable sequencing because sequence variability in adult zebra finch song is minimal. In contrast, Bengalese finches retain variability in both syllable structure and syllable sequencing into adulthood. We analyzed the effects of LMAN lesions on the variability of syllable structure and sequencing and on the social modulation of these forms of variability in adult Bengalese finches. We found that lesions of LMAN significantly reduced the variability of syllable structure but not of syllable sequencing. We also found that LMAN lesions eliminated the social modulation of the variability of syllable structure but did not detect significant effects on the modulation of sequence variability. These results show that LMAN contributes differentially to syllable versus sequence variability of adult song and suggest that these forms of variability are regulated by distinct neural pathways.

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“…suggest that residual variability in adult song might reflect continuous maintenance and optimization of song (Kao et al 2005;Sakata et al 2008). Our results imply that dopamine receptors belonging to families with opposing functions in mammals (Kebabian and Calne 1979) as well as in birds (Ding and Perkel 2002) could be involved in opposing features of song.…”

Section: Dopamine Receptor Expression In Relation To Song Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 68%

Song-related dopamine receptor regulation in Area X of zebra finch male

Bosikova

Košťál²,

Cvikova³

et al. 2012

gpb

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Abstract. Song learning and production have many parallels with speech and the mechanisms of their control have been studied extensively. There is an increasing amount of evidence that the dopaminergic system is involved in song learning and maintenance. Dopamine receptors show distinct expression in most of the song nuclei and the highest levels in Area X of the striatum. Here we have investigated whether the mRNA expressions for D1A, D1B, and D2 receptors in Area X are associated with quantitative and/or qualitative characteristics of zebra finch song. We found that quantitative parameters of song such as the amount of songs sang, motif duration, and numbers of distinct syllables and/or notes per motif did not correlate with expression of D1A, D1B nor D2 receptors in Area X or surrounding striatum. However, the mean accuracy of the song correlated negatively with D1A receptor expression levels and the sequential match correlated positively with D2 receptor expression levels in Area X relative to the surrounding striatum. These data suggest that dopamine receptor densities in Area X are associated with song variability.

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Social Modulation of Sequence and Syllable Variability in Adult Birdsong

Abstract: Sakata JT, Hampton CM, Brainard MS. Social modulation of sequence and syllable variability in adult birdsong.

Cited by 100 publications

References 73 publications

Quantification of developmental birdsong learning from the subsyllabic scale to cultural evolution

Quantification of developmental birdsong learning from the subsyllabic scale to cultural evolution

An Avian Basal Ganglia-Forebrain Circuit Contributes Differentially to Syllable Versus Sequence Variability of Adult Bengalese Finch Song

Song-related dopamine receptor regulation in Area X of zebra finch male

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Social Modulation of Sequence and Syllable Variability in Adult Birdsong

Abstract: Sakata JT, Hampton CM, Brainard MS. Social modulation of sequence and syllable variability in adult birdsong.

Cited by 100 publications

References 73 publications

Quantification of developmental birdsong learning from the subsyllabic scale to cultural evolution

Quantification of developmental birdsong learning from the subsyllabic scale to cultural evolution

An Avian Basal Ganglia-Forebrain Circuit Contributes Differentially to Syllable Versus Sequence Variability of Adult Bengalese Finch Song

Song-related dopamine receptor regulation in Area X of zebra finch male

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Song-related dopamine receptor regulation in Area X of zebra finch male