Introduction to Neuroscience 2: Lecture 13 Song Control System

How do birds sing? In this lecture, I talk about the neural mechanisms that underlie the memorization and production of singing behavior in songbirds. I explain how they learn songs from a tutor and why they sing. I describe the syrnix, the vocal organ in songbirds. We also learn about the song control system, a series of discrete brain nuclei that control singing in songbirds. I first cover experiments that identified the descending motor pathway, which is specifically used to control singing production. I also explain the anterior forebrain pathway, which is used to by songbirds to learn song. I finish by describing the role of FoxP2, a transcription factor that contributes to language in humans and song learning in songbirds.