Network of neurons crucial for vocal learning identified
A new study from the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute demonstrates in songbirds the necessity of this neural circuit to learn vocalizations at a young age, a finding that expands the scientific understanding of some contributing factors in speech disorders in humans. "Speech and language learning depend on our ability to evaluate how accurately we are producing the particular sounds associated with speech," said Dr. Todd Roberts, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience with the O'Donnell Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "This evaluation has long been thought to rely on close interactions between auditory and speech-related motor areas of the brain, but identification of specific brain pathways involved in this process has been challenging." Researchers in Dr. Roberts ' songbird lab used zebra finches to study how brain circuits learn and control song. They found a network of neurons in the brain's motor cortex that sends a cop...