The role of cerebellum in learned vocal communication in adult songbirds.

Injury, tumors, ischemia, and lesions in the cerebellum show the involvement of this region in human speech. The association of the cerebellum with learned birdsong has only been identified recently. Cerebellar dysfunction in young songbirds causes learning disabilities, but its role in adult songbirds has not been established.

Mulberry Posterior Inferior Nasal Turbinate Is Associated with a Lower Pharyngeal pH Environment.

Objectives: Mulberry-like changes of the posterior inferior nasal turbinate (MPINT) can lead to nasal obstruction. Extraesophageal reflux (EER) characterized by lower pH causes mucosal inflammation and therefore can contribute to sinonasal pathologies. No prior studies have objectively examined the possible association between acidic pH and MPINT formation.

Association Between Inferior Turbinate Hypertrophy and Extraesophageal Reflux.

Importance: To the authors' knowledge, no prior studies have examined the association between inferior turbinate hypertrophy (ITH) and extraesophageal reflux (EER). If EER were a cause or cofactor of ITH, antireflux treatment can be considered prior to surgical intervention.

Objective: To evaluate EER presence and severity in patients with different degrees of ITH.

Striatal Injury Induces Overall Brain Alteration at the Pallial, Thalamic, and Cerebellar Levels.

The striatal region Area X plays an important role during song learning, sequencing, and variability in songbirds. A previous study revealed that neurotoxic damage within Area X results in micro and macrostructural changes across the entire brain, including the downstream dorsal thalamus and both the upstream pallial nucleus HVC (proper name) and the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN). Here, we specify these changes on cellular and gene expression levels.

Effectivity of Two Cell Proliferation Markers in Brain of a Songbird Zebra Finch.

There are two most heavily used markers of cell proliferation, thymidine analogues 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) that are incorporated into the DNA during its synthesis. In neurosciences, they are often used consecutively in the same animal to detect neuronal populations arising at multiple time points, their migration and incorporation. The effectivity of these markers, however, is not well established.

In vivo assessment of the neural substrate linked with vocal imitation accuracy.

Human speech and bird song are acoustically complex communication signals that are learned by imitation during a sensitive period early in life. Although the brain areas indispensable for speech and song learning are known, the neural circuits important for enhanced or reduced vocal performance remain unclear. By combining in vivo structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging with song analyses in juvenile male zebra finches during song learning and beyond, we reveal that song imitation accuracy correlates with the structural architecture of four distinct brain areas, none of which pertain to the song control system.

Is neurogenesis in two songbird species related to their song sequence variability?

Neurogenesis takes part in the adult songbird brain and new neurons are integrated into the forebrain including defined areas involved in the control of song learning and production. It has been suggested that the new neurons in the song system might enable vocal variability. Here, we examined the basal levels of neurogenesis in two songbird species, zebra finch ( Taeniopygia guttata) and Bengalese finch ( Lonchura striata var.

Volumetric development of the zebra finch brain throughout the first 200 days of post-hatch life traced by in vivo MRI.

The first months of life are characterized by massive neuroplastic processes that parallel the acquisition of skills and abilities vital for proper functioning in later life. Likewise, juvenile songbirds learn the song sung by their tutor during the first months after hatching. To date, most studies targeting brain development in songbirds exclusively focus on the song control and auditory pathways.

Neuroplasticity in the cerebello-thalamo-basal ganglia pathway: A longitudinal in vivo MRI study in male songbirds.

Similar to human speech, bird song is controlled by several pathways including a cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical (C-BG-T-C) loop. Neurotoxic disengagement of the basal ganglia component, i.e.

Imaging of striatal injury in a songbird brain.

Neurological insults affect both, brain structure and behavior. The injury-induced brain plasticity and associated changes in behavior are difficult to study using classical histological methods. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), however, enables repeated inspection of the brain in the same individual.

Dopamine D3 receptors modulate the rate of neuronal recovery, cell recruitment in Area X, and song tempo after neurotoxic damage in songbirds.

Songbirds, like humans, learn vocalizations and their striatum recruits new neurons in adulthood. Injury in striatal vocal nucleus Area X, involved in song learning and production in songbirds, is followed by massive regeneration. The newborn neurons arise from the subventricular zone (SVZ) rich in dopamine D3 receptors (D3Rs).

Basal ganglia function, stuttering, sequencing, and repair in adult songbirds.

A pallial-basal-ganglia-thalamic-pallial loop in songbirds is involved in vocal motor learning. Damage to its basal ganglia part, Area X, in adult zebra finches has been noted to have no strong effects on song and its function is unclear. Here we report that neurotoxic damage to adult Area X induced changes in singing tempo and global syllable sequencing in all animals, and considerably increased syllable repetition in birds whose song motifs ended with minor repetitions before lesioning.