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The Role of the Basal Ganglia in the Development and Organization of Vocal Behavior in Songbirds

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Abstract

The basal ganglia play an important role in the development of motor behavior; however, the mechanisms and specificity of their role in the processes of learning and movement organization are not clear, and the hypothesis about the computations of dopaminergic modulation of the basal ganglia is very controversial. The behavioral model of song learning in songbirds is invaluable in clarifying many of the key questions about these issues. The data reviewed in this paper suggest that an active variability generator is built into the structure of the basal ganglia to provide an adaptive level of behavioral stability.

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  1. Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117485, Moscow, Russia

    N. Yu. Ivlieva

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Ivlieva, N.Y. The Role of the Basal Ganglia in the Development and Organization of Vocal Behavior in Songbirds. Russ J Dev Biol 53, 231–238 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S106236042204004X

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