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. 2025 Mar;211(2):135-148.
doi: 10.1007/s00359-024-01720-7. Epub 2024 Oct 15.

Song-like activation of syringeal and respiratory muscles during sleep in canaries

Facundo Fainstein  1   2 , Franz Goller  3   4 , Gabriel B Mindlin  5   6
Affiliations

Song-like activation of syringeal and respiratory muscles during sleep in canaries

Facundo Fainstein et al. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Sleep replay activity involves the reactivation of brain structures with patterns similar to those observed during waking behavior. In this study, we demonstrate that adult male canaries exhibit spontaneous, song-like peripheral reactivation during night sleep. Our findings include: (1) the presence of activity in respiratory muscles, leading to song-like air sac pressure patterns of low amplitude, (2) the simultaneous occurrence of respiratory replay events and reactivation of syringeal muscles, and (3) the reactivation of syringeal muscles without concurrent respiratory system activity. This song-like reactivation of peripheral motor systems enables the identification of specific motor patterns, with replay events preserving individual morphological and temporal properties. The activation of peripheral motor systems in songbirds and the differences in activation patterns between species give unique insights into the fictive behavioral output of activation of a complex learned motor behavior during sleep, shedding light on the neural control mechanisms and potential functions.

Keywords: Birdsong; Motor replays; Oscines; Respiratory muscles; Sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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