CONSPECIFIC AND HETEROSPECIFIC SONG DISCRIMINATION IN MALE ZEBRA FINCHES WITH LESIONS IN THE ANTERIOR FOREBRAIN PATHWAY

Adult zebra finches can produce normal song in the absence of Area X, IMAN, or DLM, nuclei that constitute the anterior forebrain pathway of songbirds. Here, we address whether lesions involving Area X and IMAN affect adult male zebra finches' ability to discriminate between cons pecific or heterospecific songs. Intact birds and lesioned birds mere trained on an operant GO/NOGO conditioning paradigm to discriminate be tween hetero- or conspecific songs. Both lesioned and intact birds wer e able to learn all discriminations. Lesioned and intact birds perform ed equivalently on canary song discriminations. In contrast, discrimin ations involving bird's own song took significantly more trials to lea rn for lesioned birds than for intact birds. Discrimination between co nspecific songs in general also took longer in the lesioned birds, but missed significance level. Birds with control lesions medial to Area X did not show any differences from intact animals. Our results sugges t that an intact anterior forebrain pathway is not required to discrim inate between heterospecific songs. In contrast, Area X and IMAN contr ibute to a male zebra finch's ability to discriminate between its own song and that of other zebra finches. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons. Inc.