title: Developmentally restricted synaptic plasticity in a songbird nucleus required for song learning.
abstract: We provide evidence here of long-term synaptic plasticity in a songbird forebrain area required for song learning, the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (LMAN). Pairing postsynaptic bursts in LMAN principal neurons with stimulation of recurrent collateral synapses had two effects: spike timing- and NMDA receptor-dependent LTP of the recurrent synapses, and LTD of thalamic afferent synapses that were stimulated out of phase with the postsynaptic bursting. Both types of plasticity were restricted to the sensory critical period for song learning, consistent with a role for each in sensory learning. The properties of the observed plasticity are appropriate to establish recurrent circuitry within LMAN that reflects the spatiotemporal pattern of thalamic afferent activity evoked by tutor song. Such circuit organization could represent a tutor song memory suitable for reinforcing particular vocal sequences during sensorimotor learning.
authors.affiliation: Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Neuroscience Graduate Program and Sloan-Swartz Center for Theoretical Neurobiology, Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. cab@phyucsf.edu
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Boettiger
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Doupe
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D020308:Songbirds / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000235:genetics*; D014633:Valine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; C056639:2-amino-5-phosphopentanoic acid; D014633:Valine