Anatomical and synaptic substrates for avian song learning

✍ Scribed by Nordeen, Kathy W. ;Nordeen, Ernest J.

• Book ID: 101258304
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 160 KB
• Volume: 33
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3034
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4695(19971105)33:5<532::aid-neu4>3.0.co;2-5

✦ Synopsis

In songbirds, vocal learning occurs plicated in many other forms of developmental plasticduring periods of major cellular and synaptic change. ity and learning. In this review we discuss the hy-This neural reorganization includes massive synaptogenesis associated with the addition of new neurons pothesis that develpmental and/or seasonal changes into the vocal motor pathway, as well as pruning of in NMDA receptor function and the availability of connections between song regions. These observations, new synapses may modulate thresholds for plasticity coupled with behavioral evidence that song developand thereby define sensitive periods for vocal learning. ment requires NMDA receptor activation in specific