Browsing by Author "Kubikova, Lubica"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Assessing visual requirements for social context-dependent activation of the songbird song system.
    (Proc Biol Sci, 2009-01-22) Hara, Erina; Kubikova, Lubica; Hessler, Neal A; Jarvis, Erich D
    Social context has been shown to have a profound influence on brain activation in a wide range of vertebrate species. Best studied in songbirds, when males sing undirected song, the level of neural activity and expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) in several song nuclei is dramatically higher or lower than when they sing directed song to other birds, particularly females. This differential social context-dependent activation is independent of auditory input and is not simply dependent on the motor act of singing. These findings suggested that the critical sensory modality driving social context-dependent differences in the brain could be visual cues. Here, we tested this hypothesis by examining IEG activation in song nuclei in hemispheres to which visual input was normal or blocked. We found that covering one eye blocked visually induced IEG expression throughout both contralateral visual pathways of the brain, and reduced activation of the contralateral ventral tegmental area, a non-visual midbrain motivation-related area affected by social context. However, blocking visual input had no effect on the social context-dependent activation of the contralateral song nuclei during female-directed singing. Our findings suggest that individual sensory modalities are not direct driving forces for the social context differences in song nuclei during singing. Rather, these social context differences in brain activation appear to depend more on the general sense that another individual is present.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Avian brains and a new understanding of vertebrate brain evolution.
    (Nat Rev Neurosci, 2005-02) Jarvis, Erich D; Güntürkün, Onur; Bruce, Laura; Csillag, András; Karten, Harvey; Kuenzel, Wayne; Medina, Loreta; Paxinos, George; Perkel, David J; Shimizu, Toru; Striedter, Georg; Wild, J Martin; Ball, Gregory F; Dugas-Ford, Jennifer; Durand, Sarah E; Hough, Gerald E; Husband, Scott; Kubikova, Lubica; Lee, Diane W; Mello, Claudio V; Powers, Alice; Siang, Connie; Smulders, Tom V; Wada, Kazuhiro; White, Stephanie A; Yamamoto, Keiko; Yu, Jing; Reiner, Anton; Butler, Ann B; Avian Brain Nomenclature Consortium
    We believe that names have a powerful influence on the experiments we do and the way in which we think. For this reason, and in the light of new evidence about the function and evolution of the vertebrate brain, an international consortium of neuroscientists has reconsidered the traditional, 100-year-old terminology that is used to describe the avian cerebrum. Our current understanding of the avian brain - in particular the neocortex-like cognitive functions of the avian pallium - requires a new terminology that better reflects these functions and the homologies between avian and mammalian brains.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Basal ganglia function, stuttering, sequencing, and repair in adult songbirds.
    (Sci Rep, 2014-10-13) Kubikova, Lubica; Bosikova, Eva; Cvikova, Martina; Lukacova, Kristina; Scharff, Constance; Jarvis, Erich D
    A pallial-basal-ganglia-thalamic-pallial loop in songbirds is involved in vocal motor learning. Damage to its basal ganglia part, Area X, in adult zebra finches has been noted to have no strong effects on song and its function is unclear. Here we report that neurotoxic damage to adult Area X induced changes in singing tempo and global syllable sequencing in all animals, and considerably increased syllable repetition in birds whose song motifs ended with minor repetitions before lesioning. This stuttering-like behavior started at one month, and improved over six months. Unexpectedly, the lesioned region showed considerable recovery, including immigration of newly generated or repaired neurons that became active during singing. The timing of the recovery and stuttering suggest that immature recovering activity of the circuit might be associated with stuttering. These findings indicate that even after juvenile learning is complete, the adult striatum plays a role in higher level organization of learned vocalizations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Dopamine receptors in a songbird brain.
    (J Comp Neurol, 2010-03-15) Kubikova, Lubica; Wada, Kazuhiro; Jarvis, Erich D
    Dopamine is a key neuromodulatory transmitter in the brain. It acts through dopamine receptors to affect changes in neural activity, gene expression, and behavior. In songbirds, dopamine is released into the striatal song nucleus Area X, and the levels depend on social contexts of undirected and directed singing. This differential release is associated with differential expression of activity-dependent genes, such as egr1 (avian zenk), which in mammalian brain are modulated by dopamine receptors. Here we cloned from zebra finch brain cDNAs of all avian dopamine receptors: the D1 (D1A, D1B, D1D) and D2 (D2, D3, D4) families. Comparative sequence analyses of predicted proteins revealed expected phylogenetic relationships, in which the D1 family exists as single exon and the D2 family exists as spliced exon genes. In both zebra finch and chicken, the D1A, D1B, and D2 receptors were highly expressed in the striatum, the D1D and D3 throughout the pallium and within the mesopallium, respectively, and the D4 mainly in the cerebellum. Furthermore, within the zebra finch, all receptors, except for D4, showed differential expression in song nuclei relative to the surrounding regions and developmentally regulated expression that decreased for most receptors during the sensory acquisition and sensorimotor phases of song learning. Within Area X, half of the cells expressed both D1A and D2 receptors, and a higher proportion of the D1A-only-containing neurons expressed egr1 during undirected but not during directed singing. Our findings are consistent with hypotheses that dopamine receptors may be involved in song development and social context-dependent behaviors.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemRestricted
    Global view of the functional molecular organization of the avian cerebrum: mirror images and functional columns.
    (J Comp Neurol, 2013-11) Jarvis, Erich D; Yu, Jing; Rivas, Miriam V; Horita, Haruhito; Feenders, Gesa; Whitney, Osceola; Jarvis, Syrus C; Jarvis, Electra R; Kubikova, Lubica; Puck, Ana EP; Siang-Bakshi, Connie; Martin, Suzanne; McElroy, Michael; Hara, Erina; Howard, Jason; Pfenning, Andreas; Mouritsen, Henrik; Chen, Chun-Chun; Wada, Kazuhiro
    Based on quantitative cluster analyses of 52 constitutively expressed or behaviorally regulated genes in 23 brain regions, we present a global view of telencephalic organization of birds. The patterns of constitutively expressed genes revealed a partial mirror image organization of three major cell populations that wrap above, around, and below the ventricle and adjacent lamina through the mesopallium. The patterns of behaviorally regulated genes revealed functional columns of activation across boundaries of these cell populations, reminiscent of columns through layers of the mammalian cortex. The avian functionally regulated columns were of two types: those above the ventricle and associated mesopallial lamina, formed by our revised dorsal mesopallium, hyperpallium, and intercalated hyperpallium; and those below the ventricle, formed by our revised ventral mesopallium, nidopallium, and intercalated nidopallium. Based on these findings and known connectivity, we propose that the avian pallium has four major cell populations similar to those in mammalian cortex and some parts of the amygdala: 1) a primary sensory input population (intercalated pallium); 2) a secondary intrapallial population (nidopallium/hyperpallium); 3) a tertiary intrapallial population (mesopallium); and 4) a quaternary output population (the arcopallium). Each population contributes portions to columns that control different sensory or motor systems. We suggest that this organization of cell groups forms by expansion of contiguous developmental cell domains that wrap around the lateral ventricle and its extension through the middle of the mesopallium. We believe that the position of the lateral ventricle and its associated mesopallium lamina has resulted in a conceptual barrier to recognizing related cell groups across its border, thereby confounding our understanding of homologies with mammals.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Revised nomenclature for avian telencephalon and some related brainstem nuclei.
    (J Comp Neurol, 2004-05-31) Reiner, Anton; Perkel, David J; Bruce, Laura L; Butler, Ann B; Csillag, András; Kuenzel, Wayne; Medina, Loreta; Paxinos, George; Shimizu, Toru; Striedter, Georg; Wild, Martin; Ball, Gregory F; Durand, Sarah; Güntürkün, Onur; Lee, Diane W; Mello, Claudio V; Powers, Alice; White, Stephanie A; Hough, Gerald; Kubikova, Lubica; Smulders, Tom V; Wada, Kazuhiro; Dugas-Ford, Jennifer; Husband, Scott; Yamamoto, Keiko; Yu, Jing; Siang, Connie; Jarvis, Erich D; Avian Brain Nomenclature Forum
    The standard nomenclature that has been used for many telencephalic and related brainstem structures in birds is based on flawed assumptions of homology to mammals. In particular, the outdated terminology implies that most of the avian telencephalon is a hypertrophied basal ganglia, when it is now clear that most of the avian telencephalon is neurochemically, hodologically, and functionally comparable to the mammalian neocortex, claustrum, and pallial amygdala (all of which derive from the pallial sector of the developing telencephalon). Recognizing that this promotes misunderstanding of the functional organization of avian brains and their evolutionary relationship to mammalian brains, avian brain specialists began discussions to rectify this problem, culminating in the Avian Brain Nomenclature Forum held at Duke University in July 2002, which approved a new terminology for avian telencephalon and some allied brainstem cell groups. Details of this new terminology are presented here, as is a rationale for each name change and evidence for any homologies implied by the new names. Revisions for the brainstem focused on vocal control, catecholaminergic, cholinergic, and basal ganglia-related nuclei. For example, the Forum recognized that the hypoglossal nucleus had been incorrectly identified as the nucleus intermedius in the Karten and Hodos (1967) pigeon brain atlas, and what was identified as the hypoglossal nucleus in that atlas should instead be called the supraspinal nucleus. The locus ceruleus of this and other avian atlases was noted to consist of a caudal noradrenergic part homologous to the mammalian locus coeruleus and a rostral region corresponding to the mammalian A8 dopaminergic cell group. The midbrain dopaminergic cell group in birds known as the nucleus tegmenti pedunculopontinus pars compacta was recognized as homologous to the mammalian substantia nigra pars compacta and was renamed accordingly; a group of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons at the lateral edge of this region was identified as homologous to the mammalian substantia nigra pars reticulata and was also renamed accordingly. A field of cholinergic neurons in the rostral avian hindbrain was named the nucleus pedunculopontinus tegmenti, whereas the anterior nucleus of the ansa lenticularis in the avian diencephalon was renamed the subthalamic nucleus, both for their evident mammalian homologues. For the basal (i.e., subpallial) telencephalon, the actual parts of the basal ganglia were given names reflecting their now evident homologues. For example, the lobus parolfactorius and paleostriatum augmentatum were acknowledged to make up the dorsal subdivision of the striatal part of the basal ganglia and were renamed as the medial and lateral striatum. The paleostriatum primitivum was recognized as homologous to the mammalian globus pallidus and renamed as such. Additionally, the rostroventral part of what was called the lobus parolfactorius was acknowledged as comparable to the mammalian nucleus accumbens, which, together with the olfactory tubercle, was noted to be part of the ventral striatum in birds. A ventral pallidum, a basal cholinergic cell group, and medial and lateral bed nuclei of the stria terminalis were also recognized. The dorsal (i.e., pallial) telencephalic regions that had been erroneously named to reflect presumed homology to striatal parts of mammalian basal ganglia were renamed as part of the pallium, using prefixes that retain most established abbreviations, to maintain continuity with the outdated nomenclature. We concluded, however, that one-to-one (i.e., discrete) homologies with mammals are still uncertain for most of the telencephalic pallium in birds and thus the new pallial terminology is largely devoid of assumptions of one-to-one homologies with mammals. The sectors of the hyperstriatum composing the Wulst (i.e., the hyperstriatum accessorium intermedium, and dorsale), the hyperstriatum ventrale, the neostriatum, and the archistriatum have been renamed (respectively) the hyperpallium (hypertrophied pallium), the mesopallium (middle pallium), the nidopallium (nest pallium), and the arcopallium (arched pallium). The posterior part of the archistriatum has been renamed the posterior pallial amygdala, the nucleus taeniae recognized as part of the avian amygdala, and a region inferior to the posterior paleostriatum primitivum included as a subpallial part of the avian amygdala. The names of some of the laminae and fiber tracts were also changed to reflect current understanding of the location of pallial and subpallial sectors of the avian telencephalon. Notably, the lamina medularis dorsalis has been renamed the pallial-subpallial lamina. We urge all to use this new terminology, because we believe it will promote better communication among neuroscientists. Further information is available at http://avianbrain.org
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Role of the midbrain dopaminergic system in modulation of vocal brain activation by social context.
    (Eur J Neurosci, 2007-06) Hara, Erina; Kubikova, Lubica; Hessler, Neal A; Jarvis, Erich D
    In a well-studied model of social behaviour, male zebra finches sing directed song to court females and undirected song, used possibly for practice or advertisement. Although the two song types are similar, the level of neural activity and expression of the immediate early gene egr-1 are higher during undirected than during directed singing in the lateral part of the basal ganglia song nucleus AreaX (LAreaX) and its efferent pallial song nuclei lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium (LMAN) and the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA). As social interactions are dependent on brain motivation systems, here we test the hypothesis that the midbrain ventral tegmental area-substantia nigra pars compacta (VTA-SNc) complex, which provides a strong dopaminergic input to LAreaX, is a source of this modulation. Using egr-1 expression, we show that GABAergic interneurons in VTA-SNc are more active during directed courtship singing than during undirected singing. We also found that unilateral removal of VTA-SNc input reduced singing-dependent gene expression in ipsilateral LAreaX during both social contexts but it did not eliminate social context differences in LAreaX. In contrast, such lesions reduced and eliminated the social context differences in efferent nuclei LMAN and RA, respectively. These results suggest that VTA-SNc is not solely responsible for the social context gene regulation in LAreaX, but that VTA-SNc input to LAreaX enhances the singing-regulated gene expression in this nucleus and, either through LAreaX or through direct projections to LMAN and RA, VTA-SNc is necessary for context-dependent gene regulation in these efferent nuclei.