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研究揭示金丝雀歌曲语法基础
2020-06-18 22:16

美国波士顿大学Timothy J. Gardner研究组在新研究中揭示,隐藏的神经状态是金丝雀歌曲语法的基础。这一研究成果于2020年6月17年发表在《自然》杂志上。

使用微型头戴式显微镜和特定于细胞类型的遗传工具,他们在金丝雀探索其曲库中的各种短语序列时,观察了运动前核HVC中的神经活动。他们确定了编码过去转换的神经元,它们跨越四个词组,跨度长达四秒和四十个音节。这些神经元优先编码过去的动作而不是将来的动作,可以反映多首歌曲的历史,并且在涉及歌曲中依赖于历史转换的稀有短语中活跃。

这些发现表明,HVC的动态包括“隐藏状态”,这些状态没有反映在正在进行的行为中,而是带有有关先前动作的信息。这些状态为控制由远程规则控制的语法转换提供了可能的基础。

据介绍,诸如语音或舞蹈之类的协调技能涉及遵循语法规则的动作序列,其中元素之间的转换取决于过去动作的身份和顺序。金丝雀的歌曲由重复的音节(称为短语)组成,这些短语的顺序遵循长距离规则,其中歌曲的选择取决于几秒钟之前的歌曲结构。支持这些远程关联的神经基质是未知的。

附:英文原文

Title: Hidden neural states underlie canary song syntax

Author: Yarden Cohen, Jun Shen, Dawit Semu, Daniel P. Leman, William A. Liberti, L. Nathan Perkins, Derek C. Liberti, Darrell N. Kotton, Timothy J. Gardner

Issue&Volume: 2020-06-17

Abstract: Coordinated skills such as speech or dance involve sequences of actions that follow syntactic rules in which transitions between elements depend on the identities and order of past actions. Canary songs consist of repeated syllables called phrases, and the ordering of these phrases follows long-range rules1 in which the choice of what to sing depends on the song structure many seconds prior. The neural substrates that support these long-range correlations are unknown. Here, using miniature head-mounted microscopes and cell-type-specific genetic tools, we observed neural activity in the premotor nucleus HVC2,3,4 as canaries explored various phrase sequences in their repertoire. We identified neurons that encode past transitions, extending over four phrases and spanning up to four seconds and forty syllables. These neurons preferentially encode past actions rather than future actions, can reflect more than one song history, and are active mostly during the rare phrases that involve history-dependent transitions in song. These findings demonstrate that the dynamics of HVC include ‘hidden states’ that are not reflected in ongoing behaviour but rather carry information about prior actions. These states provide a possible substrate for the control of syntax transitions governed by long-range rules.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2397-3

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2397-3

Nature:《自然》,创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团,最新IF:69.504
官方网址:http://www.nature.com/
投稿链接:http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html


本期文章:《自然》:Online/在线发表

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