Investigating The Role of Area X in Adult Canary Song
Loading...
Date
2024
Authors
Sova, Ellen
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The basal ganglia nucleus Area X in the avian song system has been previously implicated in the sensory and sensorimotor phases of vocal development in juvenile songbirds. A foundational study in birdsong research found that unilateral lesioning of Area X in canaries did not affect song structure. However, subsequent bilateral Area X lesioning studies in adult Bengalese finches and zebra finches showed increased syllable repeats or ‘stuttering’ behavior following Area X lesioning. This thesis covers a pilot study investigating the effect of bilateral chemical lesioning of Area X on song structure in adult canaries. Specifically, this thesis focuses on the development of protocols for histological analysis of neural tissue and training and validating data analysis tools. This thesis discusses preliminary observational results of stuttering behavior in adult canaries following bilateral Area X lesioning. With further validation, this result could indicate the continued importance of Area X in adult song, in addition to its role in juvenile song learning. The pilot study discussed in this thesis will continue, focusing on automating the identification of specific syllable types to quantify changes in syllable duration, order, repeats, and presence before and after Area X lesioning.
Description
Keywords
Birdsong, Sensorimotor learning, Area X, Canary, Vocal learning