BS-3016_2024-25_Matheson_Lecture_03(1)

Page 1: Introduction

• Birdsong and Language

  • Course Identifier: BS3016 Neuroscience Futures

  • Presenter: Tom Matheson

  • Institution: School of Biological Sciences

  • Contact: tm75@le.ac.uk

Page 2: Reviews of FOXP2

• FOXP2 Overview

  • Type: Transcription factor from the forkhead box (Fox) family.

  • Initial Discovery: In Drosophila (fruit flies).

• Vocal Imitation

  • Found in humans (infants) and various bird orders.

  • Involves auditory-guided motor learning during sensitive developmental phases.

  • Progression: From

    • Babbling (humans)

    • Subsong (birds)

  • Development follows distinct phases to achieve complete communication systems.

• Comparative Development

  • Behavioral, neural, and genetic similarities between human language and birdsong.

  • Evolution of brain networks for song aligns with human cortical regions and basal ganglia.

• Darwin's View

  • Suggests humans and higher mammals share mental faculties.

  • Influenced hypotheses suitable for neurobiological analysis.

  • Discovery of FOXP2's role in speech inspires further research in songbirds.

Page 3: Seminar Outline

• Presentation structure includes:

  • Summary of the paper

  • TopHat quiz & discussion points

  • Additional comments in ‘notes’ field (invisible in slideshow)

Page 4: Take-Home Summary

• Parallels between Humans and Songbirds

  • Behavioral, neuronal, and genetic levels exhibit similarities.

• Brain Organization

  • Analogous gross brain structure in humans and songbirds suggests convergent evolution.

• Common Substrates

  • Shared neuronal and molecular foundations, with FOXP2 as a key factor.

• Research Implications

  • Songbirds as models for exploring mechanistic language acquisition.

Page 5: TopHat: Vocal Learning

• Task: Complete TopHat quiz (Questions 1-3) before advancing.

Page 6: Vocal Learning Similarities

• Learning Mechanisms

  • Result from experience interacting with innate predispositions.

  • Occurs during critical/sensitive periods.

  • Sequence: Listening precedes practicing phases.

  • Distinct neural pathways for experience-dependent and independent production.

  • Direct interaction with a tutor enhances vocal learning.

Page 7: Components of Song and Language

• Structure

  • Song elements do not impart meaning as word order does in human language.

• Analysis Potential

  • Understanding birdsong structure may illuminate aspects of human language.

• Grammar Mechanisms

  • Mechanistic basis of translating sounds into meanings via grammar is poorly understood.

Page 8: TopHat: Anatomical and Functional Similarities

• Task: Complete TopHat quiz (Question 4) before advancing.

Page 9: Anatomical and Functional Similarities

• Songbird Pathways

  • Review of anterior forebrain pathway (AFP) and posterior song production pathway.

  • Discussion of auditory pathways linked to song perception and memory.

• Human Replication

  • Motor representation of speech located in inferior frontal cortex (Broca’s Area).

  • Speech perception/memory associated with superior temporal cortex (Wernicke’s Area).

• Analogous Regions

  • Comparisons between avian and mammalian structures, including functional roles.

Page 10: Gross Brain Structure

• Overview of brain regions involved in the vocal and auditory pathways in birds and humans.

• Important areas:

  • HVC

  • RA

  • Broca's Area

  • Wernicke's Area

  • Auditory Core Regions

Page 11: Dissociation Between Song Recognition and Production

• NCM's Role

  • Acquires templates for tutor songs during learning phases.

• Song System Nuances

  • Nuclei required for sensory-motor learning and production of songs.

  • Different neuron types in HVC show specificity for learned songs.

• Human Correlation

  • Superior temporal cortex (Wernicke’s Area) critical for auditory memory in infants; Broca’s Area for babbling parallels HVC functions.

Page 12: Auditory-Motor Interactions

• Modulation by Auditory Input

  • Vocal motor systems assessed via own and heard vocalizations.

• Function of LMAN

  • Role in online error correction for songbirds.

  • Equivalent function in humans performed by anterior cingulate cortex.

Page 13: TopHat: Templates and FOXP2

• Task: Complete TopHat quiz (Questions 5 & 6) before advancing.

Page 14: Genetic Underpinnings: FOXP2

• Importance of FOXP2

  • Mutations tied to developmental verbal dyspraxia affecting speech production and perception.

• Developmental Role

  • FOXP2 genes involved in various developmental processes in avian and human brains.

• Seasonal Sensitivity

  • FOXP2 activity peaks during key learning periods.

  • Knockdown of FOXP2 in zebra finches impairs song learning akin to human verbal dyspraxia.

Page 15: Genetic Underpinnings Continued

• Future Studies

  • Investigations into how human mutations relate to song learning genes.

  • Key aspects for upcoming research:

    • Vocal learners vs. non-learners

    • Song structure vs. human grammar/syntax comparisons.

Page 16: Evolutionary Distance

• Overview of evolutionary timeline highlighting vertebrate groups across different geological eras.