Precise auditory-vocal mirroring in neurons for learned vocal communication.

Full Abstract

Brain mechanisms for communication must establish a correspondence between sensory and motor codes used to represent the signal. One idea is that this correspondence is established at the level of single neurons that are active when the individual performs a particular gesture or observes a similar gesture performed by another individual. Although neurons that display a precise auditory-vocal correspondence could facilitate vocal communication, they have yet to be identified. Here we report that a certain class of neurons in the swamp sparrow forebrain displays a precise auditory-vocal correspondence. We show that these neurons respond in a temporally precise fashion to auditory presentation of certain note sequences in this songbird's repertoire and to similar note sequences in other birds' songs. These neurons display nearly identical patterns of activity when the bird sings the same sequence, and disrupting auditory feedback does not alter this singing-related activity, indicating it is motor in nature. Furthermore, these neurons innervate striatal structures important for song learning, raising the possibility that singing-related activity in these cells is compared to auditory feedback to guide vocal learning.

Author information

Author/s: Prather, J F (JF); Peters, S (S); Nowicki, S (S); Mooney, R (R);

Affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, North Carolina 27710, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Nature (Nature), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jan; vol 451 (issue 7176) : pp 305-10

Dates: Created 2008/01/18; Completed 2008/02/25;

PMID: 18202651, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Nature. 2008 Jan 17;451(7176):249-50. (PMID: 18202627)

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