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Female calls promote song learning in male juvenile zebra finches

Biology

Female calls promote song learning in male juvenile zebra finches

L. Bistere, C. M. Gomez-guzman, et al.

This groundbreaking study by Linda Bistere, Carlos M. Gomez-Guzman, Yirong Xiong, and Daniela Vallentin unveils how social interactions significantly enhance vocal learning in juvenile male zebra finches. The presence of female finches not only boosts song accuracy but also sheds light on the neural mechanisms involved in processing these vocalizations. Discover how social feedback shapes the song-learning journey!... show more
Abstract
Social interactions promote vocal learning, but the impact of social feedback on this process and its neural circuitry is not well understood. We studied song imitation in juvenile male zebra finches raised either in the presence or absence of adult females. Juveniles learned songs more accurately with a female present, suggesting her presence improves imitation. When female calls correlated with practice, tutees’ songs better resembled the tutor’s, hinting toward the possibility that females provide practice-specific vocalizations. Intracellular recordings of HVC projection neurons revealed that a subset of these neurons in both juveniles and adults is sensitive to female calls during listening, suggesting a consistent neural mechanism for processing important vocalizations, regardless of age. However, call-related neural responses during singing were observed only in juveniles. These findings highlight how vocalizations, beyond those of the tutor, influence the neural circuits for vocal learning and production.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Oct 16, 2024
Authors
Linda Bistere, Carlos M. Gomez-Guzman, Yirong Xiong, Daniela Vallentin
Tags
social interactions
vocal learning
zebra finches
song imitation
neural circuitry
female calls
tutor's song
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