A relationship between behavior, neurotrophin expression, and new neuron survival.
Abstract
The high vocal center (HVC) controls song production in songbirds and sends a projection
to the robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA) of the descending vocal pathway. HVC
receives new neurons in adulthood. Most of the new neurons project to RA and replace
other neurons of the same kind. We show here that singing enhances mRNA and protein
expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the HVC of adult male canaries,
Serinus canaria. The increased BDNF expression is proportional to the number of songs
produced per unit time. Singing-induced BDNF expression in HVC occurs mainly in the
RA-projecting neurons. Neuronal survival was compared among birds that did or did
not sing during days 31-38 after BrdUrd injection. Survival of new HVC neurons is
greater in the singing birds than in the nonsinging birds. A positive causal link
between pathway use, neurotrophin expression, and new neuron survival may be common
among systems that recruit new neurons in adulthood.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AnimalsBrain
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
Canaries
Cell Survival
Gene Expression
Humans
Male
Neurons
RNA, Messenger
Vocalization, Animal
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11217Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1073/pnas.140222497Publication Info
Li, XC; Jarvis, ED; Alvarez Borda, B; Lim, DA; & Nottebohm, F (2000). A relationship between behavior, neurotrophin expression, and new neuron survival.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 97(15). pp. 8584-8589. 10.1073/pnas.140222497. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11217.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Erich David Jarvis
Adjunct Professor in the Deptartment of Neurobiology
Dr. Jarvis' laboratory studies the neurobiology of vocal communication. Emphasis is
placed on the molecular pathways involved in the perception and production of learned
vocalizations. They use an integrative approach that combines behavioral, anatomical,
electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques. The main animal model used
is songbirds, one of the few vertebrate groups that evolved the ability to learn vocalizations.
The generality of the discoveries is tested in other vocal lear

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