Effects of visual stimulation on the auditory responses of the HVC song control nucleus in anesthetized Bengalese Finches

Abstract

ABSTRACT In songbirds, the auditory neurons of the telencephalic song control nuclei, especially those in the high vocal center (HVC), respond to the bird's own song (BOS) selectively. Since songs are elicited by the sight of conspecific females and interrupted by intense visual stimulation, such as strobe lights, visual input might modulate this auditory selectivity. This study used acute electrophysiological experiments using Bengalese Finches (Lonchura striata var. domestica) to examine whether strobe lights affect this auditory response. The results showed that visual inputs did not affect the neural activities in response to the BOS. When the visual stimulus was presented alone, we did not record comparable neural activities to auditory stimuli, although vague, weak electrical potential fluctuations were observed. This means that direct visual inputs do not reach all HVC neurons that have BOS selectivity, and the effects of visual information might be very limited in the song control system. Although...