Bird songs provide insight into how developing brain forms memories

(University of Chicago) Researchers at the University of Chicago have demonstrated, for the first time, that a key protein complex in the brain is linked to the ability of young animals to learn behavioral patterns from adults.The findings, published July 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that a specific neural signal -- the mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) cascade -- regulates the ability of juvenile zebra finches to form accurate memories of songs taught to them by adult birds.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://ift.tt/2utOgLb