Obiettivo 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. Campo scientifico humanitieslanguages and literaturegeneral language studies Programma(i) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Argomento(i) ERC-AG-LS5 - ERC Advanced Grant - Neurosciences and neural disorders Invito a presentare proposte ERC-2010-AdG_20100317 Vedi altri progetti per questo bando Meccanismo di finanziamento ERC-AG - ERC Advanced Grant Istituzione ospitante University of Zurich Contributo UE € 2 011 440,00 Indirizzo RAMISTRASSE 71 8006 ZURICH Svizzera Mostra sulla mappa Tipo di attività Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Ricercatore principale Richard Hans Robert Hahnloser (Prof.) Contatto amministrativo Richard Hans Robert Hahnloser (Prof.) Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Costo totale Nessun dato Beneficiari (1) Classifica in ordine alfabetico Classifica per Contributo UE Espandi tutto Riduci tutto University of Zurich Svizzera Contributo UE € 2 011 440,00 Indirizzo RAMISTRASSE 71 8006 ZURICH Mostra sulla mappa Tipo di attività Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Ricercatore principale Richard Hans Robert Hahnloser (Prof.) Contatto amministrativo Richard Hans Robert Hahnloser (Prof.) Collegamenti Contatta l’organizzazione Opens in new window Sito web Opens in new window Costo totale Nessun dato