The objective of this application is to elucidate the neural mechanisms important for recovery of a complex learned behavior in the event of central damage. Zebra finches, like humans, have specific brain regions that are responsible for vocalization. I have found that microlesions in the anterior portion of HVC (the zebra finch analogue of human cortical regions for speech production) induce a destabilization of the song pattern. Over the course of two weeks, birds then recover most acoustic features of their song. Moreover, it appears that prior removal of LMAN (a telencephalic region necessary for adult vocal maintenance) prevents HVC-induced destabilization. This suggests a surprising interaction of telencephalic nuclei in the mediation and perhaps real-time sustainability of the adult song pattern. Thus, the proposed experiments will examine integrated components and molecular changes involved in vocal recovery. Results will determine whether behavioral changes are enacted by neural repair mechanisms intrinsic to HVC, a rapid change in the input from nuclei controlling song production, or a combination of both processes. My findings may have implications for recovery of vocal function following brain injury in humans. ? ? ?
| Thompson, John A; Basista, Mark J; Wu, Wei et al. (2011) Dual pre-motor contribution to songbird syllable variation. J Neurosci 31:322-30 |
| Wu, Wei; Thompson, John A; Bertram, Richard et al. (2008) A statistical method for quantifying songbird phonology and syntax. J Neurosci Methods 174:147-54 |
| Thompson, John A; Wu, Wei; Bertram, Richard et al. (2007) Auditory-dependent vocal recovery in adult male zebra finches is facilitated by lesion of a forebrain pathway that includes the basal ganglia. J Neurosci 27:12308-20 |
| Thompson, John A; Johnson, Frank (2007) HVC microlesions do not destabilize the vocal patterns of adult male zebra finches with prior ablation of LMAN. Dev Neurobiol 67:205-18 |
