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Article: Do songbirds sing of Alzheimer's? (research on zebra finches and the protein synelfin may provide clues to memory and Alzheimer's disease)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- August 26, 1995
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The dulcet notes of songbirds do more than please the ear--they provide one of the best models of how the brain modifies connections between neurons in order to learn.
About 3 weeks after birth, songbirds begin to listen silently to the singing of a tutor, usually their father. After this period, which lasts about 2 weeks, the juvenile birds start to rehearse their song, apparently reinforcing the neural circuits established when they memorized it.
Researchers over the years have pinpointed specific regions of the avian brain crucial to these distinct phases of song learning. Now, investigators studying zebra finches have unearthed a protein, which they ...