2017 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
自発的行動に起因する発声学習表現型の個性創発の神経分子基盤の解明
Publicly Offered Research
| Project Area | Integrative research toward elucidation of generative brain systems for individuality |
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| Project/Area Number |
17H05932
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| Research Institution | Hokkaido University |
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Principal Investigator |
和多 和宏 北海道大学, 理学研究院, 准教授 (70451408)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2017-04-01 – 2019-03-31
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| Keywords | 自発的学習 / 発声学習 / 学習臨界期 / ソングバード / 神経活動依存性 / 発声パターン |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Vocal learning is the key behavioral basis for the acquisition of spoken human language. However, few animal groups, and none of humans’ close relatives, are vocal learners. Therefore, without sufficient scientific examination, it is a commonly held belief that “age (intrinsic maturation)” is one of the crucial factors for the closure of the critical/sensitive period of vocal learning. Against this, our study using songbirds provides a new insight that self-motivated vocal practice acts as a non-genetic factor to regulate vocal learning plasticity during the critical period. We prevented zebra finches, a closed-ended learning species, from singing during the critical period of song learning by postural manipulation, which enabled to separate life-long vocal experience from the effects of age. The singing-prevented birds retained a juvenile-like ability to acquire a tutored song even at adulthood after being released to freely sing. Genome-wide gene expression network analysis revealed that vocal plasticity is tightly linked to the expression dynamics of singing activity-dependent genes, but not of age-dependent genes. The significant transcriptional changes of activity-dependent genes occurred in the vocal motor nucleus RA projection neurons, which play a role in regulation of song phonology.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
当初に予定していた実験の結果をえて、現在解析を進めることができている。
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
H30年度においては、ヒストン脱アセチル化酵素阻害剤や・DNAメチル化酵素阻害剤の脳内ソングシステムへの局所投与により、エピジェネティクス動態の人工的な改変を誘導し、発声学習効率・学習戦略・学習臨界期間制御といった個体差が観察される発声行動表現型への影響を実験的に検証する。
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Research Products
(6 results)
