RICHARD D. MOONEY

Brain-wide mapping of neuroanatomical connections to the auditory cortex of hearing and deaf mice

The paper maps brainwide connections to the auditory cortex in deaf and hearing mice, finding reduced inputs from specific regions in deaf mice but preserved connectivity in others.

A synaptic locus of song learning

This study identifies specific cortico-basal ganglia synapses critical for rapid vocal learning in juvenile zebra finches and characterizes the timescale of consolidation.

Correctness is its own reward: bootstrapping error signals in self-guided reinforcement learning

This paper models how juvenile zebra finches learn song through self-guided reinforcement learning by developing a neural circuit that generates internal error signals via predictive cancellation.

A Cortical Site that Encodes Vocal Expression and Reception

The paper identifies the posterior insula as a brain region encoding vocal expression and reception in socially interacting mice, showing context-dependent activity patterns.

Nested circuits mediate the decision to vocalize

The paper identifies a nested neural circuit in mice that integrates social and environmental signals to regulate vocalization decisions.

Divergent projections from Locus Coeruleus to the cortico-basal ganglia system and ventral tegmental area of the zebra finch.

The paper investigates noradrenergic projections from the locus coeruleus to the cortico-basal ganglia system in zebra finches, finding regionally specialized receptor expression and divergent connectivity.

A neural hub that coordinates learned and innate courtship behaviors

This paper identifies a midbrain cell group (A11) in zebra finches that coordinates learned songs with innate courtship behaviors through neural connections to HVC and brainstem regions.

Circuit and synaptic organization of forebrain-to-midbrain pathways that promote and suppress vocalization

The paper identifies two forebrain inhibitory neuron populations that trigger or suppress vocalization by modulating PAG-USV neurons through distinct synaptic mechanisms.

MIN1PIPE: A Miniscope 1-photon-based Calcium Imaging Signal Extraction Pipeline

MIN1PIPE is a pipeline for extracting neuronal signals from 1-photon miniscope calcium imaging data, showing superior efficiency and precision in noisy conditions.

Identification of midbrain neurons essential for vocal communication

The paper identifies a specific subset of midbrain PAG neurons in male mice essential for producing ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) and shows their role in vocal communication.