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  • Title: Accelerated redevelopment of vocal skills is preceded by lasting reorganization of the song motor circuitry.
    Author: Vellema M, Diales Rocha M, Bascones S, Zsebők S, Dreier J, Leitner S, Van der Linden A, Brewer J, Gahr M.
    Journal: Elife; 2019 May 17; 8():. PubMed ID: 31099755.
    Abstract:
    Complex motor skills take considerable time and practice to learn. Without continued practice the level of skill performance quickly degrades, posing a problem for the timely utilization of skilled motor behaviors. Here we quantified the recurring development of vocal motor skills and the accompanying changes in synaptic connectivity in the brain of a songbird, while manipulating skill performance by consecutively administrating and withdrawing testosterone. We demonstrate that a songbird with prior singing experience can significantly accelerate the re-acquisition of vocal performance. We further demonstrate that an increase in vocal performance is accompanied by a pronounced synaptic pruning in the forebrain vocal motor area HVC, a reduction that is not reversed when birds stop singing. These results provide evidence that lasting synaptic changes in the motor circuitry are associated with the savings of motor skills, enabling a rapid recovery of motor performance under environmental time constraints.
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