How A Songbird Changes Its Tune

Zachary Sheldon, C’19, intended to pursue a career in clinical medicine until a little bird told him he might be better suited for neuroscience research. Last year, Sheldon began studying zebra finches under the supervision of Marc Schmidt, Professor of Biology and Co-Director of the Biological Basis for Behavior program. The project combines Sheldon’s interest in neuroscience with the coding skills he acquired minoring in computer science.

For his research project in Schmidt’s lab, Sheldon, a 2017–2018 College House Research Fellow, will disrupt neural signals that flow through what he believes is a critical piece of the zebra finch’s song production anatomy. His experiments will expand upon newly-developing research into the function of sensory feedback in a field that, until now, has focused on an auditory system. Understanding the mechanisms of sensory feedback in birds will give researchers insight into parallels in the human basal ganglia and disorders like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and Tourette syndrome, which could result from a malfunction in the feedback loop between the senses and the brain.

“The zebra finch song varies between individuals,” says Sheldon. “They have a specific song that they will sing over and over throughout their life.” The predictability of the finch’s song makes it an ideal, tractable model for sensory feedback research.

The chosen birds will receive an implant on the vagus nerve—a 3-D-printed nanoclip that wraps the nerve, allowing stimulation at a designated syllable in the bird’s song. Current experiments performed by Kristen Miller, C’18, involve cutting the vagus nerve.

Sheldon hopes his research on auditory feedback and sensory impact will contribute to the valuable insights neuroscientists have discovered about songbird error detection and correction. He says, “If we understand the overall role that sensory feedback plays in this sensorimotor circuit, potentially we can translate that in to understanding how sensory feedback is integrated into the circuitry of the human brain.”

Photo courtesy of Zachary Sheldon, C’19