HETEROSYNAPTIC INTERACTIONS DURING VOCAL LEARNING

University Of California San Francisco, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

Recent studies relating dyslexia to temporal processing highlight the importance of temporal tasks for learning and cognition. Previous computational modeling of vocal learning in song birds suggests that changes in neural excitability on the time scale of single vocal gestures may be an important mechanism by which motor programs are modified to match an internally memorized sensory template. The research proposed here will use the in vitro brain slice preparation to investigate the ability of N- methyl-D-aspartate receptors to increase neuronal excitability, providing a transient facilitation to subsequent synaptic input. By characterizing basic neural mechanisms in the context of a functional model, the proposed investigation will further our understanding of the neural basis of complex imitation-from- memory tasks, especially that of human speech development.