Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior

A Basal Ganglia Circuit Sufficient to Guide Birdsong Learning

This study shows that VTA projections to the basal ganglia are sufficient to guide vocal learning in zebra finches through optogenetic manipulation.

Thalamostriatal and cerebellothalamic pathways in a songbird, the Bengalese finch

The paper identifies thalamostriatal and cerebellothalamic pathways in the Bengalese finch, showing that specific thalamic regions project to the basal ganglia and striatum.

Distance-dependent changes in courtship song amplitude reflect song state changes

The paper shows that courtship song amplitude in zebra finches changes with distance from a female, reflecting shifts in song state rather than a direct response to distance.

Regulation of vocal precision by local noradrenergic modulation of a motor nucleus

The paper shows that norepinephrine modulates vocal behavior in zebra finches by reducing song variability and switching between exploratory and exploitative vocal strategies.

A neural decoder for learned vocal behavior

This paper introduces a neural decoder for birdsong, a complex learned vocal behavior, using Brain Machine Interfaces.

Songbird organotypic culture as an in vitro model for interrogating sparse sequencing networks

The paper develops an in vitro model using zebra finch brain slices to study sparse neuronal activity networks.

A Statistical Model of Shared Variability in the Songbird Auditory System

The paper develops a latent factor model to analyze shared variability in neural activity of zebra finch auditory cortex during song and synthetic sound stimulation, finding a simple structure dominated by one latent source.