The Neuroethology of Birdsong, Sakata

1. Approaching birdsong from multiple levels of analysis - Jon T. Sakata and Sarah C. Woolley

This chapter will provide a broad overview of birdsong research from multiple levels of analysis. We will adopt Tinbergens landmark framework to provide summaries of research into the mechanisms, development, evolutionary history, and adaptive significance of birdsong (e.g., the importance of song performance to reproductive success). This introductory chapter will highlight key concepts to be discussed in greater depth in subsequent chapters and will emphasize the complementarity of birdsong research to broader research on vocal communication in vertebrates.

This chapter will present a historical overview of the field of birdsong. The authors will review the works of researchers who paved the way for the modern era of birdsong (e.g., Thorpe, Marler, Nottebohm, Konishi), highlight the importance of the comparative approach, outline central questions in birdsong, and discuss novel methodologies to answer classic questions.

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3. Bridging birdsong and speech - Jon T. Sakata and Patricia Kuhl

4. Neural mechanisms of vocal learning - Mimi Kao and Michael S. Brainard

5. Neural mechanisms of song control - Michael Long and Tim Gardner

This chapter will review the exciting new advances in our understanding of how neurons in the song system control song production. The chapter will provide an overview of theoretical models of song control and empirical support for such models and will discuss sensorimotor integration, efference copy, and feedback signals. The authors will also summarize recent technological advances to probe neural function, including optogenetics, miniaturized Peltier devices, and micro-imaging techniques.

6. Songbirds as models to understanding basal ganglia function - Arthur Leblois and David Perkel