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 …

This wide-ranging review presents an overview of the respiratory-vocal system in songbirds,
which are the only other vertebrate group known to display a degree of respiratory control …

Many complex behaviours, like speech or music, have a hierarchical organization with
structure on many timescales, but it is not known how the brain controls the timing of …

Behavioural learning depends on the brain's capacity to respond to instructive experience
and is often enhanced during a juvenile sensitive period. How instructive experience acts on …

The study of song learning and the neural song system has provided an important
comparative model system for the study of speech and language acquisition. We describe …

Quantitative biomechanical models can identify control parameters that are used during
movements, and movement parameters that are encoded by premotor neurons. We fit a …

The dichotomy between vocal learners and non-learners is a fundamental distinction in the
study of animal communication. Male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) are vocal learners …

Premotor circuits help generate imitative behaviors and can be activated during observation
of another animal′ s behavior, leading to speculation that these circuits participate in …

Mutations of the FOXP2 gene impair speech and language development in humans and
shRNA-mediated suppression of the avian ortholog FoxP2 disrupts song learning in juvenile …

Executing a motor skill requires the brain to control which muscles to activate at what times.
How these aspects of control—motor implementation and timing—are acquired, and …