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Vocal template computations in the songbird brain

Ziel

Song learning in oscine birds shares several characteristics with human language learning: it relies on social interaction, active participation, and error feedback, and must take place within a critical period. Songbirds learn their songs from a tutor: they memorize a template of tutor song and compare their own song to that template until a good match is achieved. The existence of a song template in the songbird brain has been clearly demonstrated in deafening, isolation, and lesion experiments, and therefore the songbird is one of the best animal models for unravelling neural principles of template-based vocal learning.

Currently we know very little about neural mechanisms in the brain that support template-based learning. In songbirds, our knowledge about the template is limited to behavioural aspects that favour or hinder faithful imitation and to evidence about the brain areas in which the template is stored. Elusive about the template remains its neural representation, as well as the manner in which it is used for evaluating the plastic juvenile songs. Here we propose for the first time a set of experiments aimed at identifying neural mechanisms of template computations including template storage, template recall, and template-based evaluation of auditory feedback.

We test the hypothesis that during singing, juvenile birds recall a memory of tutor song and use that memory to analyze and evaluate their own songs. In the zebra finch, our goal is to find a neural correlate of this memory trace in higher auditory association areas. We believe that our studies will provide fundamental insights into how the brain monitors its behavioral output and compares it to some desired output, for which a sensory template has been memorized.

Wissenschaftliches Gebiet

Programm/Programme

Thema/Themen

Aufforderung zur Vorschlagseinreichung

ERC-2010-AdG_20100317
Andere Projekte für diesen Aufruf anzeigen

Finanzierungsplan

ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant

Gastgebende Einrichtung

University of Zurich
EU-Beitrag
€ 2 011 440,00
Adresse
RAMISTRASSE 71
8006 ZURICH
Schweiz

Auf der Karte ansehen
Aktivitätstyp
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Hauptforscher
Richard Hans Robert Hahnloser (Prof.)
Kontakt Verwaltung
Richard Hans Robert Hahnloser (Prof.)
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Gesamtkosten
Keine Daten

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Letzte Aktualisierung: 2 August 2019

Mein Booklet

Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/268911/de

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