Songbird: Secrets of song could mirror those of human speechA baby songbird could help cure a range of human disorders including autism.
Zebra finch chicks learn to sing in virtually the same way as human babies learn to speak - by copying their elders.
Now researchers have cracked the genetic code of the bird for the first time, identifying more than 800 genes linked to song learning.
Many of their genes are also found in humans.
It means the tiny bird should serve as a valuable model for understanding human learning and memory.
Male baby finches, like human infants, start off by 'babbling' before learning to imitate their father's song.
As they learn in such a predictable way, finches could provide a window into the origins of disorders such as autism, strokes, stuttering and Parkinson's.
'Song learning is an excellent paradigm for all types of learning,' said Chris Ponting, a professor with the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit at University of Oxford, who was involved in the research.
'There are experiments that can be done that immediately provide information as to what changes occur in neurons (brain cells) upon the learning of a song. The zebra finch genome provides a tool that allows this exploration.'
The Australian zebra finch, which weighs less than half an ounce (14g), is only the second bird to have its genome sequenced, after the chicken in 2004.
It gives the zebra finch genome a 'unique relevance to human neuroscience', a team of international scientists led by Wes Warren of Washington University's Genome Centre reported in the journal Nature.
However, untangling the vast web of genetic and molecular factors involved in learning will not be easy.
Experts previously thought there might be around 100 genes involved in zebra finch singing.
The fact there are at least 800 underlines the sheer complexity of learning.
The next bird genome to be sequenced is that of the parrot, which researchers hope to complete by the end of this year.
source :dailymail
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