Naturalistic stimulation drives opposing heterosynaptic plasticity at two inputs to songbird cortex.

ABSTRACT: Songbirds learn precisely sequenced motor skills (songs) subserved by distinct brain areas, including the premotor cortical analog HVC, which is essential for producing learned song, and a 'cortical'-basal ganglia loop required for song plasticity. Inputs from these nuclei converge in RA (robust nucleus of the arcopallium), making it a likely locus for song learning. However, activity-dependent synaptic plasticity has never been described in either input. Using a slice preparation, we found that stimulation patterns based on singing-related activity were able to drive opposing changes in the strength of RA's inputs: when one input was potentiated, the other was depressed, with the direction and magnitude of changes depending on the relative timing of stimulation of the inputs. Moreover, ph

SUBMITTER: Mehaffey WH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5726397 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature