ANNULÉ - Tuning the Auditory System for Vocal Communication

Abstract: Auditory-vocal communication requires the coordinated
development of sensory and motor circuits around sounds that convey
social information. When communication sounds are learned, the brain
must use experience to build auditory and vocal motor circuits that
are functionally coupled to perceive and produce the same acoustic
signals. Unlike other animals, humans and songbirds learn the
vocalizations they use to communicate. Behavioral studies of speech
and song perception suggest that early vocal learning shapes auditory
processing and perception for life.  I will describe our research
using songbirds to understand how early experience of vocal
communication may shape the development of response selectivity and
tuning in auditory cortex neurons.