Margoliash D
J Neurosci. 1986 Jun;6(6):1643-61. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.06-06-01643.1986.
Neuronal activity in the hyperstriatum ventrale, pars caudale (HVc) is associated with and necessary for the production of song by songbirds. HVc neurons also respond to acoustic stimuli. The present investigation assessed the auditory response properties of neurons in HVc by testing with the individual bird's own (autogenous) song and the songs of conspecific birds. Throughout HVc, multiunit clusters preferentially responded to autogenous song. Selectivity for autogenous song was apparent even when compared to similar intradialect songs, and neuronal clusters preferred autogenous song over the (tutor) song model that birds heard during the impressionable phase early in life. The responses to autogenous song were stable in the adult. HVc neurons were sensitive to the acoustic parameters of autogenous song and consistently exhibited a diminished response to modified song. In contrast, field L neurons, which are presumed to be a source of auditory input to HVc, did not exhibit selectivity for autogenous song and showed no special sensitivity to the acoustic parameters of autogenous song. These observations implicate song (motor) learning in shaping the response properties of HVc, but not field L, auditory neurons. It is proposed that HVc auditory neurons may contribute to a bird's ability to discriminate among conspecific songs by acting as an "autogenous reference" during perception of those songs.
腹侧上纹状体尾侧部（HVc）的神经元活动与鸣禽唱歌行为相关且是其产生歌声所必需的。HVc神经元也会对声学刺激做出反应。本研究通过用个体自身（自体的）歌声以及同种鸟类的歌声进行测试，评估了HVc中神经元的听觉反应特性。在整个HVc中，多单元集群优先对自体歌声做出反应。即使与相似的方言内歌声相比，对自体歌声的选择性也很明显，并且神经元集群对自体歌声的偏好超过了鸟类在生命早期易受影响阶段所听到的（导师）歌声模型。成年后对自体歌声的反应是稳定的。HVc神经元对自体歌声的声学参数敏感，并且对经过修改的歌声反应持续减弱。相比之下，推测为HVc听觉输入源的L区神经元对自体歌声没有表现出选择性，对自体歌声的声学参数也没有特别的敏感性。这些观察结果表明鸣唱（运动）学习塑造了HVc而非L区听觉神经元的反应特性。有人提出，HVc听觉神经元可能通过在感知同种歌曲时充当“自体参考”，有助于鸟类区分同种歌曲的能力。
