Browsing by Author "Blazing, Robin"

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    An Avian Basal-Ganglia Forebrain Circuit Modulates the Reversal of Externally Reinforced Changes to Adult Zebra Finch Song
    (2017-05-20) Blazing, Robin
    Songbirds learn their songs through a trial and error process that shows remarkable similarities to human language learning, making them an ideal model for studying the neural substrates of vocal learning. Although adult zebra finch song is generally highly stable, a recent white noise aversive reinforcement learning paradigm has made it possible to shift the pitch of targeted song syllables. When aversive reinforcement is stopped, syllable pitch recovers to its stable baseline value over the course of several days. This recovery provides evidence that zebra finches are intrinsically motivated to match song performance to a previously memorized target version of the song. In this study, I tested the hypothesis that the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium (LMAN), a cortico-basal ganglia outflow nucleus implicated in both juvenile and externally reinforced adult learning, is necessary for intrinsically motivated pitch recovery. I drove down the fundamental frequency of targeted song syllables using white noise aversive reinforcement. I then performed bilateral electrolytic lesions of LMAN to determine whether normal pitch recovery would take place without LMAN activity. All three birds lesioned demonstrated significantly reduced recovery rates, providing convincing preliminary evidence that LMAN is implicated in song recovery. However, these results were not conclusive due to small sample size and the lack of histological data to verify lesion efficacy. Further characterization of the role of LMAN in pitch recovery could provide a valuable context for explaining phenomena associated with human language re-learning, such as how stroke victims might have difficulty recovering speech, or how adults are able access and easily re-learn elements of languages to which they were exposed during early childhood.
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    Gigapixel imaging with a novel multi-camera array microscope.
    (eLife, 2022-12) Thomson, Eric E; Harfouche, Mark; Kim, Kanghyun; Konda, Pavan C; Seitz, Catherine W; Cooke, Colin; Xu, Shiqi; Jacobs, Whitney S; Blazing, Robin; Chen, Yang; Sharma, Sunanda; Dunn, Timothy W; Park, Jaehee; Horstmeyer, Roarke W; Naumann, Eva A
    The dynamics of living organisms are organized across many spatial scales. However, current cost-effective imaging systems can measure only a subset of these scales at once. We have created a scalable multi-camera array microscope (MCAM) that enables comprehensive high-resolution recording from multiple spatial scales simultaneously, ranging from structures that approach the cellular scale to large-group behavioral dynamics. By collecting data from up to 96 cameras, we computationally generate gigapixel-scale images and movies with a field of view over hundreds of square centimeters at an optical resolution of 18 µm. This allows us to observe the behavior and fine anatomical features of numerous freely moving model organisms on multiple spatial scales, including larval zebrafish, fruit flies, nematodes, carpenter ants, and slime mold. Further, the MCAM architecture allows stereoscopic tracking of the z-position of organisms using the overlapping field of view from adjacent cameras. Overall, by removing the bottlenecks imposed by single-camera image acquisition systems, the MCAM provides a powerful platform for investigating detailed biological features and behavioral processes of small model organisms across a wide range of spatial scales.