Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Singing-driven gene expression in the developing songbird brain.

Frank Johnson1, Osceola Whitney

  • 1Program in Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1270, USA. johnson@psy.fsu.edu

Physiology & Behavior
|September 1, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Singing influences gene expression, impacting neural and vocal development in young male zebra finches. This research integrates singing-driven gene expression within an ecological context for understanding bird song learning.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Integrative neural mechanisms for social communication of learned vocal behavior.

Frontiers in integrative neuroscience·2025
Same author

Tribally-affiliated syringe services programs in the United States: a brief report.

Harm reduction journal·2025
Same author

Insights into Convergent Evolution From Studying Amino Acid Patterns in Independent Lineages of Birds.

Genome biology and evolution·2025
Same author

Reflections on the Collaborative Story Analysis Method to Understand Qualitative Perspectives of Indigenous Syringe Services Program Clients.

SSM. Qualitative research in health·2025
Same author

Context-dependent activation of a social behavior brain network during learned vocal production.

Brain structure & function·2023
Same author

Community member perspectives on adapting the cascade of care for opioid use disorder for a tribal nation in the United States.

Addiction (Abingdon, England)·2023
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Ethology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Neural and behavioral development result from gene-environment interactions.
  • Understanding these interactions is a key challenge in neuroscience.
  • Songbirds, like the male zebra finch, learn vocalizations through imitation, offering a model for developmental studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review molecular and behavioral studies on singing-driven gene expression in zebra finch neural and vocal development.
  • To identify environmental factors influencing the propensity to sing in male zebra finches.
  • To integrate the role of singing-driven gene expression into a broader ecological framework.

Main Methods:

  • Review of molecular studies on gene expression.
  • Analysis of behavioral studies on singing and vocal development.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Ethological observations of singing behavior in male zebra finches.

    • Main Results:

    • Singing significantly drives gene expression patterns relevant to neural and vocal development.
    • Naturally occurring environmental factors play a crucial role in shaping singing propensity.
    • The study highlights the interplay between singing, gene expression, and the ecological niche.

    Conclusions:

    • Singing-driven gene expression is integral to vocal learning and neural development in male zebra finches.
    • Environmental influences on singing behavior are critical and should be considered in ecological contexts.
    • Integrating molecular, behavioral, and ecological approaches provides a comprehensive understanding of songbird development.