Thalamus drives vocal onsets in the zebra finch courtship song.

ABSTRACT: While motor cortical circuits contain information related to specific movement parameters¹, long-range inputs also have a critical role in action execution^2,3. Thalamic projections can shape premotor activity^2-6 and have been suggested⁷ to mediate the selection of short, stereotyped actions comprising more complex behaviours⁸. However, the mechanisms by which thalamus interacts with motor cortical circuits to execute such movement sequences remain unknown. Here we find that thalamic drive engages a specific subpopulation of premotor neurons within the zebra finch song nucleus HVC (proper name) and that these inputs are critical for the progression between vocal motor elements (that is, 'syllables'). In vivo two-photon imaging of thalam

SUBMITTER: Moll FW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11967199 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature