title: [Long-term plasticity of HVC-RA synapses in adult male zebra finches].
abstract: Long-term synaptic plasticity is considered as a key part of the neural mechanism of learning and memory. The production of learned vocalization of male zebra finches is closely related to high vocal center (HVC)-robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) pathway. However, the long-term plasticity of HVC-RA synapses is unclear. This study investigated the long-term plasticity of HVC-RA synapses in adult male zebra finches through in vivo field potential recording. The results showed that physiologic stimulation, i.e., δ rhythmic stimulation and low frequency stimulation could not effectively induce long-term synaptic plasticity. The former leaded to no change of the amplitudes of evoked population spikes, and the latter induced short-term depression (STD) of the amplitudes of the second evoked population spikes caused by paired pulses. But high frequency stimulation induced long-term depression (LTD) of the amplitudes of evoked population spikes to show out long-term synaptic plasticity. These results suggest that LTD represents the long-term plasticity of HVC-RA synapses in adult male zebra finches, which may be a key part of the neural mechanism of vocal learning and memory and can explain the plasticity of adult song to some degree.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, South China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Science in Higher Education of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510631, China. dfliswx@126.com.
authors.forename: Feng-Ling
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dong-Feng
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D046369:Finches / Q000502:physiology*; D053400:High Vocal Center / Q000502:physiology*; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*