The Center for Study of Gene Structure and Function at Hunter College will host "Singing in the Brain: Behavioral Neurobiology of Bird Song," Thursday, December 12 through Saturday, December 14 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.  The symposium will explore how the questions surrounding human brain function may be answered by studying brain functions in songbirds.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at Hunter College's West Building, southwest corner of 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, 7th floor, Room 714.  All participants must register on the day of the event or on the Web site: http://genecenter.hunter.cuny.edu/symposium

"This is the first international conference to be devoted to the neurobiology of bird song," said Phillip Zeigler, Hunter College psychology professor and a symposium organizer.  "It takes place at a time when the field is on the edge of significant breakthroughs in understanding the role of genes in complex behaviors such as language, motor control, and learning."Initially, scientists were interested in songbirds because they wanted to know how they learned their songs.  However, during the past 25 years, study of the songbird brain has revolutionized human brain function research.Songbird studies first showed that the structure of male brains differed from that of females and that brain structure changed seasonally as hormone levels rose and fell.  Then researchers discovered that the brain areas controlling singing continue to add new neurons in adulthood.Until recently, the generation of new neurons in adult brains was thought to be impossible.  But now due to the songbird discoveries, researchers have documented the same phenomena in adult brains of many vertebrates, including humans.  Understanding these processes helps researchers find treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.During the symposium, researchers from Europe, Japan and the United States will present findings on birdsong neurobiology and their implications for understanding how the human brain functions.Dr. Fernando Nottebohm of Rockefeller University, whose work on the generation of new neurons in old brains was featured in the New Yorker, will give the keynote address.  In addition, several speakers will address the male/female differences in brain structure and singing behavior and the roles of genes and hormones in controlling behavior. A workshop on genes and singing behavior will address genomics as a research tool for the study of birdsong and feature the work of Dr. Erich Jarvis, a Hunter alumnus and a recipient of the Waterman Award for young investigators from the National Science Foundation.The Center for the Study of Gene Structure and Function at Hunter College and the symposium are made possible through support by the Research Center in Minority Institutions Program of the National Institutes of Health.  For more information, contact the Center for Study of Gene Structure and Function at (212) 650-3957.Hunter College, founded in 1870, has long enjoyed a national reputation for excellence in liberal arts and sciences and professional education.  Hunter's main campus, located on 68th Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side, consists of the School of Arts and Sciences and School of Education.  The college also includes a school of Social Work on East 79th Street as well as the Schools of the Health Professions (Nursing and Health Sciences) located at the Brookdale Health Science Center on East 25th Street; an MFA building and art gallery on the West Side; and the Hunter College Campus Schools serving gifted and talented students, preschool through grade 12.

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