Definition
Songbirds produce complex vocalizations, a behavior that depends on the ability of juveniles to imitate the song of an adult. Song learning relies on a specialized basal ganglia-thalamocortical loop. Several computational models have examined the role of this circuit in song learning, shedding light on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying sensorimotor learning.
Detailed Description
Songbirds use learned vocalizations to communicate during courtship or aggressive behaviors. These vocalizations, called song, require fast coordination of laryngeal and respiratory muscles. Songbirds learn their song as juveniles through a long process comprising two sequential phases: the juvenile first listens to and memorizes one or more tutor songs and then uses auditory feedback to match its song to the memorized model through trial and error.
While song production is under the control of two cortical nuclei, HVC (used as a proper name) and the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA,...
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References
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Leblois, A., Darshan, R. (2014). Basal Ganglia: Songbird Models. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_84-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_84-1
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Latest
Basal Ganglia: Songbird Models- Published:
- 02 September 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_84-2
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Original
Basal Ganglia: Songbird Models- Published:
- 12 February 2014
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_84-1