
Scientists implant "memories" into bird brains to teach them songs - EndXA
https://newatlas.com/biology/implant-memories-bird-brains-teach-songs/
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EndXA
Abstract of the original study:

> Animals learn many complex behaviors by emulating the behavior of more
> experienced individuals. This essential, yet still poorly understood, form
> of learning relies on the ability to encode lasting memories of observed
> behaviors. We identified a vocal-motor pathway in the zebra finch where
> memories that guide learning of song-element durations can be implanted.
> Activation of synapses in this pathway seeds memories that guide learning of
> song-element duration and can override learning from social interactions
> with other individuals. Genetic lesions of this circuit after memory
> formation, however, do not disrupt subsequent song imitation, which suggests
> that these memories are stored at downstream synapses. Thus, activity at
> these sensorimotor synapses can bypass learning from auditory and social
> experience and embed memories that guide learning of song timing.

From:
[https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/83](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/83)

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kkylin
Also from a Perspective [1] in the same issue, which I also found useful:

An imitation circuit

Animals, including humans, rely heavily on imitation and social learning, yet
we know little about how this process operates in the brain. Zhao et al. used
optogenetic manipulation of a synaptic pathway connecting auditory and vocal
motor circuits to implant song memories sufficient to guide song learning into
young zebra finches (see the Perspective by Clayton). Activation of this
circuit overrode learning from live tutors. These experiments define circuits
essential for social learning of songs from tutors and show that such memories
can be localized.

[1]
[https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/33](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/33)

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computator
The article could leave the impression that the birds are watching the flashes
of light, like watching TV. For a layman article, they failed to mention that
brain of the bird has been cut open or probed and that the flashes of light
are shone directly on the neurons.{1} I guess they thought it was too icky to
make that clear.

Optogenetics seems like a real breakthrough. Great quote from Wikipedia: "The
far-fetched possibility of using light for selectively controlling precise
neural activity was thought of by Francis Crick in 1999."

{1}
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optogenetics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optogenetics)

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briga
If I understand this correctly, it seems like the researchers were just
stimulating vocal areas of the bird brains--which to me seems like an entirely
different thing than implanting memories into the bird's brain. If you
stimulate my motor cortex in a way that makes me kick my leg, it would be a
little silly to say that you implanted a memory of me kicking--the memory is
something that occurs after the fact. Maybe the original article makes this
distinction a little clearer?

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SomeOldThrow
This seems like a reasonable definition of implanting to me—it’s east to
trivialize this with “just”, but intent to implant and visible indication of
implanted behavior are both in place here. What mechanism would you expect
implantation to look like?

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whycombinater
There's an extremely large difference between tricking someone into thinking
they're working for the other team by grafting on a pre-calculated memory of
them being a Chinese agent for the last 20 years rather than ... making their
finger move and saying that gave them a memory of their finger moving.

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SomeOldThrow
Maybe, I think it depends on your expectations.

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ineedasername
This technique is novel, but there are already established methods of
implanting false memories in people, with children the most susceptible. A
study [0] showed how easy it was to induce a false memory of hugging/shaking
hands with Bugs Bunny at Disneyland, which is impossible because there is no
Bugs Bunny in Disney

[0][http://staff.washington.edu/eloftus/2003Nature.pdf](http://staff.washington.edu/eloftus/2003Nature.pdf)

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superkuh
The avian equivalent of the basal ganglia has activity that goes up at the
beginning and ending of discrete song segments. So they expressed light
triggered ion channels in those brain regions to mimic the activity patterns
of actual song and trains the birds to learn novel patterns they had never
actually heard.

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therealcamino
"We do what we must because we can."

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ineedasername
This just takes us one step closer to the avian overthrow of mankind predicted
in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". Or maybe just scientists messing with
people to make them want to eat bird seed.

