Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38658545›Full record

ArticleNature communications2024

Goal-directed and flexible modulation of syllable sequence within birdsong.

Takuto Kawaji, Mizuki Fujibayashi, Kentaro Abe

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Transcription factors Lef1 and Rest stimulate recovery from depressive states.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Takuto KawajiLab of Brain Development, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8577, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-8864-685X
Mizuki FujibayashiLab of Brain Development, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8577, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6310-039X
Kentaro AbeLab of Brain Development, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8577, Japan. k.abe@tohoku.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3923-6323

Funding

MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 19H03319MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 21H05608MEXT | Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 22KJ0225Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) 19H04893Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) 22H05482Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) 23K18252Tohoku University 2101
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Songs constitute a complex system of vocal signals for inter-individual communication in songbirds. Here, we elucidate the flexibility which songbirds exhibit in the organizing and sequencing of syllables within their songs. Utilizing a newly devised song decoder for quasi-real-time annotation, we execute an operant conditioning paradigm, with rewards contingent upon specific syllable syntax. Our analysis reveals that birds possess the capacity to modify the contents of their songs, adjust the repetition length of particular syllables and employing specific motifs. Notably, birds altered their syllable sequence in a goal-directed manner to obtain rewards. We demonstrate that such modulation occurs within a distinct song segment, with adjustments made within 10 minutes after cue presentation. Additionally, we identify the involvement of the parietal-basal ganglia pathway in orchestrating these flexible modulations of syllable sequences. Our findings unveil an unappreciated aspect of songbird communication, drawing parallels with human speech.

Indexed as

Vocalization, AnimalAnimalsBasal GangliaConditioning, OperantFinchesGoalsMaleSongbirds

Identifiers

PMID38658545
PMCPMC11043396

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.