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

Auditory Pathway

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...

Root Loci for Positive-Feedback Systems

Root Loci for Positive-Feedback Systems

The Hartley oscillator is a positive feedback system that sustains oscillations by feeding the output back to the input in phase, thereby reinforcing the signal. Positive feedback systems can be viewed as negative feedback systems with inverted feedback signals. In these systems, the root locus encompasses all points on the s-plane where the angle of the system transfer function equals 360 degrees.
The construction rules for the root locus in positive feedback systems are similar to those in...

Synaptic Signaling

Synaptic Signaling

Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
Most synapses are chemical, meaning an electrical impulse or action potential spurs the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The neuron sending the signal is called the presynaptic neuron, and the neuron receiving the signal is the postsynaptic neuron.
The presynaptic neuron fires an action potential that...

Synaptic Signaling

Synaptic Signaling

Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.

Associative Learning

Associative Learning

Associative learning is a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology, wherein a connection is established between two stimuli or events, leading to a learned response. This process is critical in understanding how behaviors are acquired and modified. Conditioning, the mechanism through which associations are formed, can be divided into two main types: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, each elucidating different aspects of associative learning.
Classical conditioning, also known...

Electrical Synapses

Electrical Synapses

Electrical synapses found in all nervous systems play important and unique roles. In these synapses, the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes are very close together (3.5 nm) and are actually physically connected by channel proteins forming gap junctions.
Gap junctions allow the current to pass directly from one cell to the next. In contrast, in the chemical synapse, the neurotransmitters carry the information through the synaptic cleft from one neuron to the next. They consist of two...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Selective encoding of priors for flexible categorization but not Bayesian inference in the frontal eye field.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Dynamic Compression Flows for Neuroscience Data.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

A synaptic locus of song learning.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Motor Cortical Output Integrates Distorted Proprioceptive Feedback.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Representational Similarity and Pattern Classification of Fifteen Emotional States Induced by Movie Clips and Text Scenarios.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

A software platform for real-time and adaptive neuroscience experiments.

Nature communications·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 15, 2026

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

Published on: November 26, 2012

A synaptic locus of song learning.

Drew C Schreiner¹, Samuel Brudner¹, Amanda Li¹

¹Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.

|May 13, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Juvenile songbirds learn vocalizations through specific synapses in the cortico-basal ganglia circuit. This study pinpoints these synapses, revealing how neural activity drives rapid vocal learning and consolidation over hours.

More Related Videos

Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra Finches

Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra Finches

Published on: December 26, 2019

High Resolution Quantitative Synaptic Proteome Profiling of Mouse Brain Regions After Auditory Discrimination Learning

High Resolution Quantitative Synaptic Proteome Profiling of Mouse Brain Regions After Auditory Discrimination Learning

Published on: December 15, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 15, 2026

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

A Lightweight, Headphones-based System for Manipulating Auditory Feedback in Songbirds

Published on: November 26, 2012

Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra Finches

Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra Finches

Published on: December 26, 2019

High Resolution Quantitative Synaptic Proteome Profiling of Mouse Brain Regions After Auditory Discrimination Learning

High Resolution Quantitative Synaptic Proteome Profiling of Mouse Brain Regions After Auditory Discrimination Learning

Published on: December 15, 2016

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Animal Behavior
Computational Biology

Background:

Imitative learning, crucial for vocal and musical skills, lacks a clear neural basis.
Song learning in juvenile zebra finches relies on a specialized cortico-basal ganglia circuit.
The specific synapses driving initial vocal learning remain unidentified.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify the precise cortico-basal ganglia synapses responsible for rapid vocal learning in juvenile songbirds.
To characterize the timescale of song learning consolidation.
To investigate the role of basal ganglia activity in vocal acquisition.

Main Methods:

Combined computational analysis of song learning with optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulations.
Targeted synapse-specific interventions within the cortico-basal ganglia circuit.
Quantification of vocal changes and learning rates.

Main Results:

Identified specific cortico-basal ganglia synapses critical for acquiring and expressing rapid vocal changes.
Determined an hours-long timescale for the consolidation of learned song features.
Demonstrated that enhancing basal ganglia activity accelerates learning and persistently alters song.

Conclusions:

Pinpointed the synaptic substrates underlying rapid imitative vocal learning in juvenile songbirds.
Revealed the circuit logic and behavioral timescales governing vocal learning consolidation.
Established a direct link between basal ganglia activity and the rate of vocal learning.