Imaging experiments reveal that some brain regions do not distinguish between actions performed using tools and those performed using the hands, while others represent these two types of action separately.

Detailed analysis of fMRI data shows that sequences of movements are associated with individual patterns of neural activity that become more distinct with training.

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.

In the brain at rest, the degree of coordinated activity within the motor network is inversely related to levels of the inhibitory transmitter GABA in primary motor cortex.

Retrograde tracing of the neural circuits that control movement of the jaw and tongue reveals how shared premotor neurons help to ensure coordinated muscle activity.

Male and female mice respond differently to the same pheromone signals, and the representation of these sensory stimuli by neurons in the medial amygdala correlates precisely with the differences in behavior.

The rhythmic patterns of activity that underlie breathing are generated and coordinated by distinct populations of neurons within the brainstem.

Midbrain dopaminergic neurons and a cortex-like structure called the arcopallium form part of a circuit that enables young songbirds to compare their own song with a template stored in memory, and use any discrepancies to improve their performance.

Neuroimaging provides novel insights into how the motor system represents sequences of actions by automatically separating their spatial and temporal features for flexible skill production.