Neurobiology of birdsong

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Election of authors. Voted 60 since 27 March 2008.

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(no more than 3)
Name/Email/AffiliationBrief note
Erich D. Jarvis (edit)
(jarvisATneuro.duke.edu)
Department of Neurobiology. Duke University Medical Center
Dr. Jarvis' laboratory studies the neurobiology of vocal communication. Emphasis is placed on the molecular pathways involved in the perception and production of learned vocalizations. He has been working on birdsong since 1995 and has a considerable list of publications.
David J. Perkel (edit)
(perkelATu.washington.edu)
Biology department. University of Washinton
Prof. Perkel is interested in - Mechanisms of pattern generation in the motor pathway - Structure and function of the anterior forebrain pathway - Evolutionary origin of the anterior forebrain pathway in songbirds - Mechanisms underlying seasonal control of song He has a laboratory devoted to these topics at http://faculty.washington.edu/perkel/ He (along with Micheal Farries) is cited in most of the papers related with Neurobiology of birdsong.
Constance Scharff (edit)
(scharffATzedat.fu-berlin.de)
Free University of Berlin
Constance Scharff's research focus is on the genetic mechanisms underlying vocal learning, particularly in birds. Some key references: *Scharff, C.; Nottebohm, F. (1991). "A comparative study of the behavioral deficits following lesions of various parts of the zebra finch song system: implications for vocal learning". Journal of Neuroscience 11 (9): 2896-2913. * Scharff, C.; Haesler, S. (2005). "An evolutionary perspective on FoxP2: strictly for the birds?". Current Opinion in Neurobiology 15 (6): 694-703. DOI:10.1016/j.conb.2005.10.004. * Scharff, C.; White, S.A. (2004). "Genetic components of vocal learning.". Ann NY Acad Sci 1016: 325-47. DOI:10.1196/annals.1298.032.
Fernando Nottebohm (edit)
(notteboATrockefeller.edu)
Rockefeller University
Nottebohm has made several seminal contributions to the field, starting about 40 years ago (e.g. Nottebohm, Fernando (1970), "Ontogeny of Bird Song", Science 167 (3920): 950–956, DOI:10.1126/science.167.3920.950) until today (e.g. Adar, Einat; Fernando Nottebohm & Anat Barnea (2008), "The Relationship between Nature of Social Change, Age, and Position of New Neurons and Their Survival in Adult Zebra Finch Brain", Journal of Neuroscience 28 (20): 5394, DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5706-07.2008).
Michale Fee (edit)
(feeATmit.edu)
Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA
Fee's lab studies how the brain generates complex behaviors, focusing on the songbird as a model. He currently does research on how young birds learn to imitate the adult song. He has also developed new techniques to measure brain activity in awake behaving animals. http://web.mit.edu/bcs/people/fee.shtml
Masakazu (Mark) Konishi (edit)
(mailto:konishimATcaltech.edu)
California Institute of Technology
Mark is one of the founders of the neuroethology of birdsong. He and his students and post-docs worked out the major brain circuitry involved in song production. He is truly one of the pioneers in the field. Mark trained with Peter Marler. Mark's students and post-docs who followed the birdsong work include: Rich Mooney, Dan Margoliash, Alison Doupe, David Perkel, and Theresa Nick.


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