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Research Interests:

The primary function of the nervous system is to enable behavioral adaptation to the environment. Neural plasticity underlies adaptation. Thus, understanding the nervous system requires a comprehensive knowledge of neural plasticity. Behavioral, systems, cellular, and molecular aspects of various forms of plasticity, such as development and learning, have been examined in thousands of studies. Yet, the basic mechanisms underlying the modification of behavior are not well-understood. Only a combination of approaches used in parallel will reveal the complex relationships of brain and behavior.

My laboratory uses a vertebrate model, the songbird, in the study of neural mechanisms of behavioral modulation. As in mammals, the brain of birds contains neural control areas such as the thalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system (e.g. hippocampus), and a cortex homolog. The song system is a dedicated neural circuit that includes cortical nuclei. Its discrete, nuclear structure enables precise excision and manipulation of functional units in a complex network. Further strengths of this system are that (1) the song behavior is easily recorded and analyzed; (2) the learning of song follows a well-established time-course; (3) the acquisition of the song behavior can be manipulated easily; and (4) the anatomical development of the song system occurs in parallel with the development of song. Thus, the songbird is a preparation that can be examined with top-down and bottom-up approaches. We use a combination of techniques ranging from spectral analysis of song behavior to whole-cell patch clamping of neurons to test hypotheses regarding the control of neural activity and its relationship to behavior.

Selected Publications:

(For a comprehensive list of recent publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine.)

Day, N.F., Kinnischtzke, A.K., Adam, M., and Nick, T.A. (2008). Top-down regulation of plasticity in the birdsong system: "Premotor" activity in the nucleus HVC predicts song variability better than it predicts song features. The Journal of Neurophysiologyy, 100 :2956-2965.

Crandall SR, Adam M, Kinnischtzke AK, Nick TA. HVC neural sleep activity increases with development and parallels nightly changes in song behavior. J Neurophysiol. 2007 Jul;98(1):232-40.

Crandall SR, Aoki N, Nick TA. Developmental modulation of the temporal relationship between brain and behavior. J Neurophysiol. 2007 Jan;97(1):806-16.

Nick TA, Konishi M. Neural auditory selectivity develops in parallel with song. J Neurobiol. 2005 Mar;62(4):469-81.

Nick TA, Konishi M. Neural song preference during vocal learning in the zebra finch depends on age and state. J Neurobiol. 2005 Feb 5;62(2):231-42.

Nick, T.A. and Konishi, M. (2001). Dynamic control of auditory activity during sleep: Correlation between song response and EEG. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 98(24):14012-14016.

Current Graduate Students:

Nancy Day (Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).