Experience dependent neuronal circuit wiring regulating zebra finch song learning

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K06724
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
• Principal Investigator: Yazaki-Sugiyama Yoko (矢崎陽子) 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 臨界期の神経メカニズム研究ユニット, 准教授 (00317512)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 臨界期 / 聴覚 / 経験依存的可塑性 / 学習 / 発声

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Like humans learn to speak, songbirds learn to sing by listening to conspecific adult vocalizations during development. In zebra finch, one type of songbird, juveniles develop their own unique song while maintaining species specific characteristics. In this study, we found that zebra finch juveniles, raised by foster parents of another species, learned the acoustic morphology of song elements, but not the temporal silent gap patterns from the foster fathers’ songs. We further found two subsets of neurons in the primary auditory area carrying complementary information about zebra finch songs. Those suggest parallel information processing of sound morphology and temporal gap pattern of song via two distinct groups of neurons, enabling zebra finches to develop songs that are simultaneously unique yet species-specific. Our study suggests how our brain circuits handle learning behavior under innate restrictions.

Free Research Field

神経生物学