MacDougall-Shackleton S A, Hulse S H, Ball G F
Department of Psychology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
J Neurobiol. 1998 Sep 5;36(3):421-30.
This study examined the relationship between the volumes of four song control nuclei: the high vocal center (HVC), the lateral part of the magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (IMAN), Area X, and the robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA), as well as syrinx mass, with several measures of song output and song complexity in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Male zebra finches' songs were recorded in standardized recording sessions. The syrinx and brain were subsequently collected from each bird. Volumes of the song control nuclei were reconstructed by measuring the cross-sectional area of serial sections. Syrinx mass was positively correlated with RA volume. The volume of IMAN was negatively related to element repertoire size and the number of elements per phrase. We found no other correlations between brain and behavioral measures. This study, combined with others, indicates that the evidence for a general relationship among songbirds between HVC volume and song complexity is equivocal. There are clear species differences in this brain-behavior correlation.
本研究考察了雄性斑胸草雀（Taeniopygia guttata）中四个鸣唱控制核团：高级发声中枢（HVC）、新纹状体前部大细胞外侧核（IMAN）、X区和古纹状体粗核（RA）的体积，以及鸣管质量，与几种鸣唱输出和鸣唱复杂性指标之间的关系。在标准化的录音环节中记录雄性斑胸草雀的歌声。随后从每只鸟身上采集鸣管和大脑。通过测量连续切片的横截面积来重建鸣唱控制核团的体积。鸣管质量与RA体积呈正相关。IMAN的体积与元素库大小和每个乐句中的元素数量呈负相关。我们未发现大脑与行为指标之间的其他相关性。本研究与其他研究相结合表明，鸣禽中HVC体积与鸣唱复杂性之间普遍关系的证据并不明确。在这种脑-行为相关性方面存在明显的物种差异。
