CHARACTERIZATION OF NEURONS BORN AND INCORPORATED INTO A VOCAL CONTROL NUCLEUS DURING AVIAN SONG LEARNING

In male zebra finches, song learning is accompanied by the addition of new neurons to Area X, a nucleus necessary for normal song developmen t. We examined whether Area X neurons born after 15 days post-hatch ar e recruited into the efferent pathway from Area X to the dorsolateral nucleus of the medial anterior thalamus (DLM). Our data suggest that t he majority of these new Area X neurons are interneurons and that DLM- projecting neurons are incorporated into Area X prior to song learning .