A role of the basal ganglia-forebrain circuit for biasing species-specific behavioral patterns
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1
School of Life Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan
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2
Faculty of Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Hokkaido University, Japan
Songbirds learn their songs from a tutor of the same species. Learned song possesses species-specific features in two aspects, one is acoustic structure of song syllables and the other is temporal sequence of syllables, called song syntax. Learning of species-specific song patterns is important to increase reproductive success and to avoid cross breeding with other species. However, it is generally unknown which brain region contribute to acquire species-specific behavioral patterns. Songbirds have a specialized neural circuit, called song circuit, for learning and processing song. Anterior forebrain pathway (AFP), a basal ganglia-forebrain circuit, is involved in song learning. Our hypothesis is that AFP contributes to acquire species-specific song patterns. To test this hypothesis, we performed two experiments. First is cross-fostering experiment to examine how songbirds develop their species-specific song patterns and how those song patterns are affected by both genetic information and tutor environment. Two songbird species zebra finch (ZF) and Bengalese finch (BF) was used for cross-fostering experiment because ZF song and BF song are acoustically and syntactically different from each other. ZF song consists of motif structure and BF song consists of many repetitions and chunks of BF-specific syllables. We recorded songs of cross-fostered ZFs while they learned hetero-specific songs, and quantified development of the song pattern. When the song crystallized, BF-tutored ZFs acquired BF-like syllables, but failed to have BF-like syntax. However, at the early stage of song learning, some BF-tutored ZF succeeded to produce BF-like sequences of syllables. These results suggest that at the early stage of song learning zebra finch could learn and vocalize not only syllable acoustic structures such as BF song-like syllable but also heterospecific syllable sequence from BF. However it is also suggested that their ability for learning syllable sequence is genetically restricted so that they could only learn their own species-specific song patterns even if they had never heard songs of their own species. Next, we performed lesion of lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium (LMAN), which is the output nucleus of the AFP, at early stage of song learning in cross-fostered zebra finch. As the result, the BF-tutored ZF that had LMAN lesion retained BF like song patterns. Although further research is needed to determine whether LMAN causes species-specific biases by itself, our results suggest that AFP including LMAN, avian basal ganglia-forebrain circuit, contributes to bias toward species-specific song patterns during song learning.
Keywords:
anterior forebrain pathway,
basal ganglia-forebrain circuit,
Song learning,
songbird,
species specific behavior,
species specific song behavioral pattern
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster (but consider for student poster award)
Topic:
Learning, Memory and Behavioral Plasticity
Citation:
Imai
R and
Wada
K
(2012). A role of the basal ganglia-forebrain circuit for biasing species-specific behavioral patterns.
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00139
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Received:
27 Apr 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Raimu Imai, School of Life Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo city, Japan, raimu-i@mail.sci.hokudai.ac.jp