Animal behaviors are composed of movements that are coordinated across broad time scales. For example, human speech involves very rapid movements that control articulation of phonemes coordinated with slower movements of the respiratory musculature. The goal of this project is to understand how the temporal complexity of behaviors is generated by the nervous system. To this end, neuronal mechanisms underlying complex vocal behaviors of male African clawed frogs will be investigated. The central vocal circuit of Xenopus is an ideal model to achieve this goal because it remains functional in vitro (the brain can 'sing' in a dish), such that intensive physiological experimentation can be conducted during behavior, a feature that is not available in most other vertebrate species. The results of the study are expected to reveal cellular mechanisms by which the nervous system organizes and coordinates a functional sequence of motor programs. In addition, the project will provide opportunities for a graduate student and a postdoctoral fellow to be trained in the inter-disciplinary field of neuroscience, and outreach efforts will be made to recruit students from underrepresented groups and educators in local secondary institutions to participate in the research program.
