Linking Features of Genomic Function to Fundamental Features of Learned Vocal Communication

Abstract

Learned vocal communication emerges from the coordination of sensory and motor learning, reflects the function of a distributed but integrated neural circuit, and unfolds across several timescales, often occurring in maturing animals. Because nearly all brain organization and function originates from patterns of genomic activation, it is crucial to understand principles of how the genome works in order to understand how learned vocal communication arises. In this chapter, the fact that genome functions have high evolutionary conservation will be leveraged to provide a conceptual guide for how research using a species of songbird, the zebra finch, can deepen and expand clinical findings from humans. Additionally, this chapter provides examples for how studies in the zebra finch can uncover fundamental processes of learned vocal communication that are of value for understanding human speech and language. Examples include the organization of specialized neural circuits, responses to social communication experiences, activation of motor plans, and consideration of how the age and sex of the individual intersect with vocal communication skills, all of which have potential to inform on vocal learning mechanisms in humans. Together, our current state of knowledge advances the idea that humans and songbirds do not simply share superficial parallels; rather, they share deep biological properties to accomplish the complex, multi-level processes required for learning and producing meaningful communication patterns.