Cornell University psychology professor Timothy DeVoogd spoke at Hamilton College on April 5 about his research on brain plasticity in birds and bird learning, comprehension and singing. The departments of biology and psychology sponsored the lecture.
Many people ask, "Why study birds?" DeVoogd said. He explained that the study of birds allows scientists to better understand the natural world around them. Also, what researchers learn from studying the specialized systems within bird brains may explain things about human brains.
Early research in the plasticity of bird's brains shows that baby songbirds' brains, at birth, are extremely underdeveloped; they cannot see or hear. After six weeks, the birds function fully. DeVoogd said that this development allows the brain to be accessible to outside influences and that it can be manipulated during this critical stage.
After describing the structure within the brain that constructs songs and regulatory nuclei in songbirds, DeVoogd discussed his study examining different nerve cells in the brains of birds. He found that song system neurons change rapidly in response to steroids. DeVoogd also discovered differences in male birds and female birds. He said that different hormones in the birds could be manipulated and would change behavior by changing the system that allows them to physically produce sounds.
Interestingly, DeVoogd explained that the physical structure of certain parts of the brain in songbirds grows or shrinks depending on the time of the year. This finding illustrates that many changes can occur within a fully developed brain in a bird.
The male and female birds were also examined separately by DeVoogd and his research partners. As the males do the most singing of the two sexes, he studied the singing patterns in male birds. He looked at the structure of the brains of birds to see if an inherent structure exists within the brain that allows for only certain songs or many songs to be memorized and sung.
DeVoogd shared many sound clips that highlighted the differences in learned songs versus innate songs and showed that learned songs are more complex than innate songs. He also discussed the different areas of the brain at work when a male sings a song and a female hears a song, as well as research examining the differences between birds in isolation versus natural birds, and the development and preservation of neurons in birds during learning.
-- Emily Lemanczyk '05
