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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

Hemispheric differences in processing of vocalizations depend on early experience.

Mimi L Phan¹, David S Vicario

¹Department of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|February 6, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Early auditory experience shapes brain lateralization in songbirds. This research reveals how song exposure influences hemispheric specialization for processing communication sounds in zebra finches.

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Area of Science:

Neurobiology
Animal Behavior
Auditory Neuroscience

Background:

Brain lateralization, the dominant role of one hemisphere in specific functions, is observed across species and modalities.
The precise function and experience-dependent development of lateralization remain unclear.
Songbirds offer a valuable model for studying vocal learning and auditory processing development.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of early auditory experience in the development of lateralized sensory processing.
To determine how postnatal auditory environments affect hemispheric specialization for communication sounds in adult songbirds.
To explore the functional implications of experience-dependent lateralization.

Main Methods:

Manipulating the auditory environment of developing zebra finches (isolation, song tutoring, muting).
Conducting bilateral multielectrode recordings from a forebrain auditory area.
Assessing hemispheric specialization for species-specific vocalizations (songs and long calls) in adulthood.

Main Results:

Auditory responses to communication sounds were stronger in the right hemisphere compared to the left in both male and female zebra finches.
Right-hemisphere auditory responses exhibited faster adaptation to stimulus repetition.
Specific instances, particularly in males, demonstrated that auditory experience with song and/or self-vocalization influenced lateral differences.

Conclusions:

Early auditory experience plays a significant role in shaping brain lateralization for auditory processing in songbirds.
Hemispheric specialization for communication sounds is influenced by developmental auditory input.
This study provides insights into the experience-dependent mechanisms underlying brain lateralization.