Feeding and contact call stimulation both induce zenk and cfos expression in a higher order telencephalic area necessary for vocal learning in budgerigars.
Stimulation with natural contact calls and feeding were used to assess zenk and fos protein expression in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), a vocal learning parrot species in which feeding and physical contact often occur in conjunction with vocalization. Although only calls induced gene expression in Field L, the primary telencephalic auditory area, both calls and feeding induced gene expression in the frontal lateral nidopallium (NFl), a brain area in receipt of input from Field L which projects to areas afferent to vocal control nuclei and which is necessary for new call learning. NFl thus appears poised to provide both non-auditory as well as auditory feedback to the vocal system.
Brauth
Steven E
SE
Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. brauth@psyc.umd.edu
Liang
Wenru
W
Beru
Yodit
Y
Roberts
Todd F
TF
Hall
William S
WS
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D046408:Melopsittacus; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D013687:Telencephalon / Q000378:metabolism*; D014828:Vocalization, Animal
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos