CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. neuroscientists say they've discovered immature and adult birdsongs are driven by two separate brain pathways, rather than just one that slowly matures.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists said previous research had shown the zebra finch has two brain circuits dedicated to song, one for learning and another -- known as the motor circuit -- for producing the learned song, Damage to the first circuit while the bird is still learning prevents further learning.
Scientists assumed the motor circuit was equally important in producing baby birds' babbling, but no research had been conducted.
The new study that included graduate students Dmitriy Aronov and Aaron Andalman involved temporarily disabling parts of the brain,
When they disabled a part of the motor circuit, the babies continued to sing. The researchers suspected a key component of the learning circuit, called LMAN, has a previously unknown motor function. They confirmed this by showing that when LMAN was disabled, the immature birds ceased babbling.
"This tells us that singing is driven by two different motor circuits at different stages of development," said Aronov.
The research led by Associate Professor Michale Fee is detailed in the journal Science.
