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Related Experiment Videos

Motor-driven gene expression

E D Jarvis1, F Nottebohm

  • 1Laboratory of Animal Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|April 15, 1997
PubMed
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Singing, not hearing, song dramatically increases ZENK gene expression in songbird motor nuclei. This motor-driven gene activation is independent of auditory feedback, revealing distinct neural pathways for song production and perception.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Behavior
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Neuronal activity in song nuclei increases during singing and hearing song in songbirds.
  • Previous observations suggested overlapping sensory and motor pathways in song perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the distinct molecular mechanisms underlying song perception versus song production in songbirds.
  • To determine if ZENK gene expression patterns differ between hearing and singing.

Main Methods:

  • Measuring ZENK gene expression in song nuclei of canaries and zebra finches.
  • Comparing gene expression in singing versus hearing birds.
  • Assessing gene expression in deafened and muted birds during singing.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Singing song, but not hearing it, caused a significant (up to 60-fold) increase in ZENK expression in motor song nuclei.
  • This singing-induced gene expression occurred even in deafened or muted birds.
  • Hearing song, but not singing, induced ZENK expression in auditory forebrain regions.

Conclusions:

  • Song production and perception involve distinct, anatomically separate patterns of gene expression.
  • Motor pathway activation during singing drives ZENK expression in song nuclei, independent of auditory input.
  • Auditory pathway activation during song perception drives ZENK expression in the auditory forebrain.