Nordeen E J, Nordeen K W
Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, NY 14627.
Trends Neurosci. 1990 Jan;13(1):31-6. doi: 10.1016/0166-2236(90)90060-n.
In many species of birds the propensity to learn songs from conspecifics is greatest during one or more distinct periods in life. These 'sensitive' learning periods, together with our detailed knowledge of the neural circuitry controlling avian song, have facilitated the discovery of radical neuroanatomical changes that accompany vocal development. One of the most remarkable of these changes is the production and incorporation of new, song-related neurons. The neurogenesis of specific cell types during song development helps create and recreate motor pathways for song production and provides synaptic plasticity that may both encourage and temporally constrain learning.
在许多鸟类物种中，从同种个体学习歌曲的倾向在生命中的一个或多个不同时期最为强烈。这些“敏感”学习期，加上我们对控制鸟类鸣叫的神经回路的详细了解，促进了对伴随发声发育的根本性神经解剖学变化的发现。其中最显著的变化之一是新的、与鸣叫相关的神经元的产生和整合。鸣叫发育过程中特定细胞类型的神经发生有助于创建和重塑用于鸣叫产生的运动通路，并提供可能既促进又在时间上限制学习的突触可塑性。
