INTRODUCTION The mammalian neocortex, with its distinctive six-layered structure, is
thought to enable advanced cognitive functions not seen in other animals. Yet birds, which …

Although information processing and storage in the brain is thought to be primarily
orchestrated by synaptic plasticity, other neural mechanisms such as intrinsic plasticity are …

Communication between auditory and vocal motor nuclei is essential for vocal learning. In
songbirds, the nucleus interfacialis of the nidopallium (NIf) is part of a sensorimotor loop …

Recent results demonstrate techniques for fully quantitative, statistical inference of the
dynamics of individual neurons under the Hodgkin–Huxley framework of voltage-gated …

Identifying molecular specializations in cortical circuitry supporting complex behaviors, like
learned vocalizations, requires understanding of the neuroanatomical context from which …

Neurons regulate their intrinsic physiological properties, which could influence network
properties and contribute to behavioral plasticity. Recording from adult zebra finch brain …

The nucleus HVC (proper name) within the avian analog of mammal premotor cortex
produces stereotyped instructions through the motor pathway leading to precise, learned …

Precise neural sequences are associated with the production of well-learned skilled
behaviors. Yet, how neural sequences arise in the brain remains unclear. In songbirds …

Acetylcholine is well-understood to enhance cortical sensory responses and perceptual
sensitivity in aroused or attentive states. Yet little is known about cholinergic influences on …

Background The ability to imitate the vocalizations of other organisms, a trait known as vocal
learning, is shared by only a few organisms, including humans, where it subserves the …