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Contributions of the Anterior Forebrain Pathway to Vocal Plasticity
Author(s) -
BRAINARD MICHAEL S.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1196/annals.1298.042
Subject(s) - forebrain , plasticity , vocal learning , neuroscience , basal forebrain , dorsum , biology , neuroplasticity , basal (medicine) , sound production , psychology , anatomy , central nervous system , endocrinology , physics , insulin , acoustics , thermodynamics
A bstract : The anterior forebrain pathway (AFP) is a basal ganglia‐dorsal forebrain circuit that is prominent specifically in birds that learn to sing. This circuit is interconnected with the song motor pathway, is active during song production, and contains neurons that are selective for the sound of the bird's own song, suggesting an important role for the AFP in vocal behavior. However, interruption of the AFP by lesions in adult birds has little overt effect on the production of learned song. In contrast, lesions in juvenile birds prevent the normal progression of song learning. Moreover, lesions in adults, while not disrupting production, can prevent experience‐dependent plasticity of song. Such data implicate the AFP specifically in song learning and vocal plasticity. This chapter reviews some of the experimental evidence supporting a role for the AFP in these processes and discusses potential instructive and permissive functions of the AFP in vocal plasticity.