Birdsongs Can Shed Light On Autism, Speech

Get Inside the Science:

• A bird's song may teach us about human speech disorders
• Stephanie A. White Laboratory
• UCLA Brian Research Institute

Inside Science Buzzwords:

1. Zebra finch - A songbird with many genes that control how it hears and sings.
2. Area X - A part of the the zebra finch's brain responsible for learning bird songs.
3. FoxP2 - A protein found on the human chromosome; mutations of the gene creating this protein can cause speech and language problems.
4. Reelin - A protein that is important to early brain development as well as the functioning of the adult brain.