Motor circuits are required to encode a sensory model for imitative learning

Abstract

Here the authors test the proposal that premotor circuits participate in sensory learning for imitation using convergent approaches in the juvenile zebra finch, including optogenetic disruption and in vivo multiphoton imaging. Their findings provide evidence that premotor circuits help to encode sensory information prior to shaping and executing imitative behaviors. Premotor circuits help generate imitative behaviors and can be activated during observation of another animal′s behavior, leading to speculation that these circuits participate in sensory learning that is important to imitation. Here we tested this idea by focally manipulating the brain activity of juvenile zebra finches, which learn to sing by memorizing and vocally copying the song of an adult tutor. Tutor song–contingent optogenetic or electrical disruption of neural activity in the pupil′s song premotor nucleus HVC prevented song copying, indicating that a premotor structure important to the temporal control of birdsong also helps encode the tutor song. In vivo multiphoton imaging and neural manipulations delineated a pathway and a candidate synaptic mechanism through which tutor song information is encoded by premotor circuits. These findings provide evidence that premotor circuits help encode sensory information about the behavioral model before shaping and executing imitative behaviors.