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Learning from Bird Brains: How the Study of Songbird Brains Revolutionized Neuroscience

Lab Animal volume 33, pages 28–33 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

During the past 30 years, songbirds have become a popular model for neuroscience research. The author reviews three fundamental discoveries that have revolutionized the field and changed the way we understand the structure and function of the brain.

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Figure 1: A schematic sagittal view of the songbird VCS.
Figure 2: Frontal sections through the robust nucleus of the arcopallium in (A) a male and (B) a female canary, and (C) a male and (D) a female zebra finch.
Figure 3: Seasonal changes in the volumes of the VCN in the canary.

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Acknowledgements

Support from NIH grant GM 60654 to Hunter College and from the Research Centers in Minority Institutions Award RR-03037 from the NIH National Center for Research Resources, which supports the infrastructure of the Biopsychology Program at Hunter, is gratefully acknowledged. The contents are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NCRR/NIH.

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  1. Harding is in the Department of Psychology and Biopsychology Doctoral Program, Hunter College, City University of New York, 695 Park Ave., New York, NY 10021.,

    Cheryl F. Harding PhD

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Correspondence to Cheryl F. Harding PhD.

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Harding, C. Learning from Bird Brains: How the Study of Songbird Brains Revolutionized Neuroscience. Lab Anim 33, 28–33 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0504-28

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