Kirn’s Chapter on Avian Song Published in Neuroscience Book

John Kirn, chair and professor of neuroscience and behavior, professor of biology, director of Graduate Studies, is the co-author of a book chapter titled “Regulation and function of neuronal replacement in the avian song system.”

The chapter is published inside the book Neuroscience of Birdsong, released in 2009 by Cambridge University Press.

The book provides a comprehensive summary of birdsong neurobiology, and identifies the common brain mechanisms underlying this achievement in both birds and humans. Written primarily for advanced graduates and researchers, there is an introductory overview covering song learning, the parallels between language and birdsong and the relationship between the brains of birds and mammals; subsequent sections deal with producing, processing, learning and recognizing song, as well as with hormonal and genomic mechanisms.

The book was featured in Science Magazine in February 2009 in an article titled “Neuroscience: Singing in the Brain.”