Teaching signals from "tutor" brain areas should be adapted to the plasticity mechanisms in "student" areas to achieve efficient learning in two-stage systems such as the vocal control circuit of the songbird.
Vertebrate superfast muscles employ similar excitation–contraction strategies but distinct myosin heavy chain genes to allow superfast performance, revealing a maximum speed that cannot be overcome without sacrificing neural control.
The cerebellum sends a functional input to the song-related basal ganglia via the thalamus in songbirds that can modify premotor activity, and it participates to song learning in juvenile birds.
Time-ordered and flexible motor sequences in C.elegans are generated by combining an excitatory feedforward coupling and mutual inhibitions between neurons in different functional modules.
Precisely sequenced patterns of neuronal activity associated with the production of a skilled behavior begin and end as part of orchestrated activity across functionally diverse populations of cortical premotor neurons.
Diminished incidence of COVID-19 amongst healthcare workers in a comprehensive screening programme demonstrates how effective infection control measures and staff testing can prevent hospitals becoming independent 'hubs' of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
3% of >1,000 asymptomatic healthcare workers in their workplace tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, suggesting that comprehensive screening programmes are vital to prevent acquisition of COVID-19 in hospitals.
Intracellular recordings in singing birds and images of synapses in deafened birds provide insights into the neural circuitry that enables songbirds to fine-tune their songs.
