Forkhead box protein P2 (FOXP2) is a protein that,in humans,is encoded by the FOXP2 gene. FOXP2 is a member of the forkhead box family of transcription factors,proteins that regulate gene expression by binding to DNA. It is expressed in the brain,heart,lungs and digestive system.
Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use,bird songs are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding,songs are distinguished by function from calls.
The Australian zebra finch or chestnut-eared finch is the most common estrildid finch of Central Australia. It ranges over most of the continent,avoiding only the cool humid south and some areas of the tropical far north. The bird has been introduced to Puerto Rico and Portugal. Due to the ease of keeping and breeding the zebra finch in captivity,it has become Australia’s most widely studied bird;by 2010,it was the most studied captive model passerine species worldwide,by a considerable margin.
Aromatase,also called estrogen synthetase or estrogen synthase,is an enzyme responsible for a key step in the biosynthesis of estrogens. It is CYP19A1,a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily,which are monooxygenases that catalyze many reactions involved in steroidogenesis. In particular,aromatase is responsible for the aromatization of androgens into estrogens. The enzyme aromatase can be found in many tissues including gonads,brain,adipose tissue,placenta,blood vessels,skin,and bone,as well as in tissue of endometriosis,uterine fibroids,breast cancer,and endometrial cancer. It is an important factor in sexual development.
Known as the Society finch in North America and the Bengali finch or Bengalese finch elsewhere,Lonchura striata domestica is a domesticated finch not found in nature. It became a popular cage and trade bird after appearing in European zoos in the 1860s where it was imported from Japan. There have been many theories of the origin of domestication for the Bengalese finch,and we now know it took place primarily in Japan. Coloration and behavior were modified through centuries of selection in Asia,then later in Europe and North America.
HVC is a nucleus in the brain of the songbirds necessary for both the learning and the production of bird song. It is located in the lateral caudal nidopallium and has projections to both the direct and the anterior forebrain pathways.
NPAS3 or Neuronal PAS domain protein 3 is a brain-enriched transcription factor belonging to the bHLH-PAS superfamily of transcription factors,the members of which carry out diverse functions,including circadian oscillations,neurogenesis,toxin metabolism,hypoxia,and tracheal development. NPAS3 contains basic helix-loop-helix structural motif and PAS domain,like the other proteins in the superfamily.
Dopamine receptor D5,also known as D1BR,is a protein that in humans is encoded by the DRD5 gene. It belongs to the D1-like receptor family along with the D1 receptor subtype.
Homeobox protein SIX3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SIX3 gene.
Vocal learning is the ability to modify acoustic and syntactic sounds,acquire new sounds via imitation,and produce vocalizations. "Vocalizations" in this case refers only to sounds generated by the vocal organ as opposed to by the lips,teeth,and tongue,which require substantially less motor control. A rare trait,vocal learning is a critical substrate for spoken language and has only been detected in eight animal groups despite the wide array of vocalizing species;these include humans,bats,cetaceans,pinnipeds,elephants,and three distantly related bird groups including songbirds,parrots,and hummingbirds. Vocal learning is distinct from auditory learning,or the ability to form memories of sounds heard,a relatively common trait which is present in all vertebrates tested. For example,dogs can be trained to understand the word "sit" even though the human word is not in its innate auditory repertoire. However,the dog cannot imitate and produce the word "sit" itself as vocal learners can.
The genetics of social behavior is an area of research that attempts to address the question of the role that genes play in modulating the neural circuits in the brain which influence social behavior. Model genetic species,such as D.melanogaster and Apis mellifera,have been rigorously studied and proven to be instrumental in developing the science of genetics. Many examples of genetic factors of social behavior have been derived from a bottom-up method of altering a gene and observing the change it produces in an organism. Sociogenomics is an integrated field that accounts for the complete cellular genetic complement of an organism from a top-down approach,accounting for all biotic influences that effect behavior on a cellular level.
The study of memory incorporates research methodologies from neuropsychology,human development and animal testing using a wide range of species. The complex phenomenon of memory is explored by combining evidence from many areas of research. New technologies,experimental methods and animal experimentation have led to an increased understanding of the workings of memory.
Michale Sean Fee is an American neuroscientist who works on the neural mechanisms of sequence generation and learning. Michale Fee is faculty in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,and an Investigator in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research. His laboratory studies how songbirds generate and learn complex vocal sequences.
Conspecific song preference is the ability songbirds require to distinguish conspecific song from heterospecific song in order for females to choose an appropriate mate,and for juvenile males to choose an appropriate song tutor during vocal learning. Researchers studying the swamp sparrow have demonstrated that young birds are born with this ability,because juvenile males raised in acoustic isolation and tutored with artificial recordings choose to learn only songs that contain their own species' syllables. Studies conducted at later life stages indicate that conspecific song preference is further refined and strengthened throughout development as a function of social experience. The selective response properties of neurons in the songbird auditory pathway has been proposed as the mechanism responsible for both the innate and acquired components of this preference.
Behavioral epigenetics is the field of study examining the role of epigenetics in shaping animal and human behavior. It seeks to explain how nurture shapes nature,where nature refers to biological heredity and nurture refers to virtually everything that occurs during the life-span. Behavioral epigenetics attempts to provide a framework for understanding how the expression of genes is influenced by experiences and the environment to produce individual differences in behaviour,cognition,personality,and mental health.
Auditory arrhythmia is the inability to rhythmically perform music,to keep time,and to replicate musical or rhythmic patterns. It has been caused by damage to the cerebrum or rewiring of the brain.
Dishabituation is a form of recovered or restored behavioral response wherein the reaction towards a known stimulus is enhanced,as opposed to habituation. Initially,it was proposed as an explanation to increased response for a habituated behavior by introducing an external stimulus;however,upon further analysis,some have suggested that a proper analysis of dishabituation should be taken into consideration only when the response is increased by implying the original stimulus.
Sarah M. N. Woolley is a neuroscientist and Professor of Psychology at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute. Her work centers on the neuroscience of communication,using songbirds to understand how the brain learns and understands vocal communication.
Stephanie Ann White is an American neuroscientist who is a professor at the University of California,Los Angeles. Her research looks to understand how social interactions impact the brain. She serves as Director of the Neural Systems and Behavior programme at the Marine Biological Laboratory.
Adult neurogenesis is the process in which new neurons are born and subsequently integrate into functional brain circuits after birth and into adulthood. Avian species including songbirds are among vertebrate species that demonstrate particularly robust adult neurogenesis throughout their telencephalon,in contrast with the more limited neurogenic potential that are observed in adult mammals after birth. Adult neurogenesis in songbirds is observed in brain circuits that underlie complex specialized behavior,including the song control system and the hippocampus. The degree of postnatal and adult neurogenesis in songbirds varies between species,shows sexual dimorphism,fluctuates seasonally,and depends on hormone levels,cell death rates,and social environment. The increased extent of adult neurogenesis in birds compared to other vertebrates,especially in circuits that underlie complex specialized behavior,makes birds an excellent animal model to study this process and its functionality. Methods used in research to track adult neurogenesis in birds include the use of thymidine analogues and identifying endogenous markers of neurogenesis. Historically,the discovery of adult neurogenesis in songbirds substantially contributed to establishing the presence of adult neurogenesis and to progressing a line of research tightly associated with many potential clinical applications.
