Bistere Linda, Wilczek Stefan, Vallentin Daniela
Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319, Seewiesen, Germany.
Graduate School for Systemic Neurosciences GSN-LMU, Munich, Germany.
BMC Neurosci. 2024 Dec 23;25(1):76. doi: 10.1186/s12868-024-00915-7.
Zebra finches undergo a gradual refinement of their vocalizations, transitioning from variable juvenile songs to the stereotyped song of adulthood. To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying song crystallization-a critical phase in this developmental process-we performed intracellular recordings in HVC (a premotor nucleus essential for song learning and production) of juvenile birds. We then compared these recordings to previously published electrophysiological data from adult birds. We found that HVC projection neurons in juvenile zebra finches during the song crystallization phase exhibited more variable spiking patterns compared to the precise bursting observed in adult HVC projection neurons. Additionally, subthreshold membrane potential fluctuations in juvenile neurons exhibited longer durations and larger amplitude excitatory postsynaptic potentials. These distinct temporal dynamics in HVC during song crystallization likely play a crucial role in the fine-tuning processes that shape the precise timing and structure of the mature zebra finch song.
斑胸草雀的鸣叫会经历逐渐细化的过程，从多变的幼鸟鸣唱过渡到成年后的定型鸣唱。为了探究鸣唱固化（这一发育过程中的关键阶段）背后的神经机制，我们对幼鸟的HVC（一个对鸣唱学习和产生至关重要的运动前核）进行了细胞内记录。然后，我们将这些记录与先前发表的成年鸟的电生理数据进行了比较。我们发现，与成年HVC投射神经元中观察到的精确爆发相比，处于鸣唱固化阶段的幼年斑胸草雀的HVC投射神经元表现出更多变的放电模式。此外，幼年神经元的阈下膜电位波动表现出更长的持续时间和更大幅度的兴奋性突触后电位。鸣唱固化期间HVC中这些独特的时间动态可能在塑造成熟斑胸草雀歌曲精确时间和结构的微调过程中发挥关键作用。
