Showing papers by "Michale S. Fee published in 2015"

Growth and splitting of neural sequences in songbird vocal development

Abstract: Neural sequences are a fundamental feature of brain dynamics underlying diverse behaviours, but the mechanisms by which they develop during learning remain unknown. Songbirds learn vocalizations composed of syllables; in adult birds, each syllable is produced by a different sequence of action potential bursts in the premotor cortical area HVC. Here we carried out recordings of large populations of HVC neurons in singing juvenile birds throughout learning to examine the emergence of neural sequences. Early in vocal development, HVC neurons begin producing rhythmic bursts, temporally locked to a 'prototype' syllable. Different neurons are active at different latencies relative to syllable onset to form a continuous sequence. Through development, as new syllables emerge from the prototype syllable, initially highly overlapping burst sequences become increasingly distinct. We propose a mechanistic model in which multiple neural sequences can emerge from the growth and splitting of a common precursor sequence.

Zebra Finches in Biomedical Research

Abstract: Zebra finches (Taenopygia guttata, formerly Poephila guttata) are small, colorful songbirds that have been favored by bird fanciers since the nineteenth century. In captivity, zebra finches are prolific breeders and robust ‘easy keepers’; these characteristics, along with a diurnal activity pattern and the singing prowess of males, makes them an attractive model for biomedical researchers. Their increasing popularity resides especially in the fields of neurobiology, with a majority of investigations in the United States focusing on male vocal development, and behavior, such as the basis for mate preference and aggression. However, many other research applications, as well as the production of transgenic birds, have also been pursued. The zebra finch genome is the second avian species to be sequenced (Warren et al., 2010), after that of the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). Importantly, a high-resolution digital atlas of the zebra finch brain was recently published (Karten et al., 2013) and detailed; current protocols for using zebra finches in research can be accessed online (Cold Spring Harbor Press, 2014). One review article determined there were considerably more articles about zebra finches in 2008 relative to other passerine species (Bateson and Feenders, 2010), while a tally of PubMed entries for the subject ‘zebra finch’ reveals a steady annual increase in publications that started to escalate during the 1980s.