Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Hierarchy of Motor Control

Hierarchy of Motor Control

The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...

Neural Regulation

Neural Regulation

Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.

Introduction to Learning

Introduction to Learning

Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge or skills through practice or experience, leading to long-lasting behavioral changes. This acquisition occurs through interaction with the environment and requires practice or experience. For instance, mastering a skill such as surfing requires considerable practice and experience, highlighting the essential role of repeated interactions with the environment in learning.
In contrast to learned behaviors, unlearned behaviors such as crying, sexual...

Observational Learning

Observational Learning

Albert Bandura's observational learning, also known as imitation or modeling, occurs when a person observes and imitates another's behavior. It is a quicker process than operant conditioning. A well-known example is the Bobo doll study, where children who saw an adult acting aggressively towards the doll were more likely to act aggressively when left alone, compared to those who observed a nonaggressive adult. Many psychologists view observational learning as a form of latent learning because...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Lightning Pose 3D: an uncertainty-aware framework for data-efficient multi-view animal pose estimation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Barcode activity in a recurrent network model of the hippocampus enables efficient memory binding.

eLife·2026

Same author

A subnanolitre tetherless optoelectronic microsystem for chronic neural recording in awake mice.

Nature electronics·2025

Same author

MIMIC-MJX: Neuromechanical Emulation of Animal Behavior.

ArXiv·2025

Same author

The songbird basal ganglia connectome.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Templated self-assembly of gold nanoparticles in smectic liquid crystals confined at 3D printed curved surfaces.

Nanoscale·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

Published on: May 3, 2018

Changes in the neural control of a complex motor sequence during learning.

Bence P Ölveczky¹, Timothy M Otchy, Jesse H Goldberg

¹McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. olveczky@fas.harvard.edu

Journal of Neurophysiology

|May 6, 2011

Summary

Songbirds learn complex songs through trial-and-error, reducing vocal variability as they mature. A basal ganglia-forebrain circuit (LMAN) drives motor exploration, while premotor input (HVC) refines the motor program for stereotyped song production.

More Related Videos

Acquisition of a High-precision Skilled Forelimb Reaching Task in Rats

Acquisition of a High-precision Skilled Forelimb Reaching Task in Rats

Published on: June 22, 2015

Study Motor Skill Learning by Single-pellet Reaching Tasks in Mice

Study Motor Skill Learning by Single-pellet Reaching Tasks in Mice

Published on: March 4, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task

Published on: May 3, 2018

Acquisition of a High-precision Skilled Forelimb Reaching Task in Rats

Acquisition of a High-precision Skilled Forelimb Reaching Task in Rats

Published on: June 22, 2015

Study Motor Skill Learning by Single-pellet Reaching Tasks in Mice

Study Motor Skill Learning by Single-pellet Reaching Tasks in Mice

Published on: March 4, 2014

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Animal Behavior
Motor Learning

Background:

Complex motor sequence acquisition often involves trial-and-error learning.
Songbirds exhibit vocal variability during juvenile song learning, which decreases with age.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the evolution of motor programs during complex skill learning.
To determine the roles of the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA), LMAN, and HVC in song learning and motor control.

Main Methods:

Electrophysiological recordings from RA neurons in developing songbirds.
Pharmacological inactivation of LMAN during singing.
Assessment of song stereotypy and neural firing patterns.

Main Results:

RA neurons transition from variable to precise, sparse, and bursty firing patterns during development.
LMAN inactivation promotes adultlike stereotypy in RA firing patterns without altering overall spike statistics.
HVC input removal abolishes song and motor program stereotypy.

Conclusions:

The basal ganglia-forebrain circuit (LMAN) facilitates motor exploration by adding variability during trial-and-error learning.
As song learning progresses, reduced LMAN influence allows premotor HVC input to drive song stereotypy.
This study elucidates the distinct roles of LMAN and HVC in shaping the developing motor program for complex vocal learning.