It feels rewarding to ace your opponent on match point. Here, we propose common
mechanisms underlie reward and performance learning. First, when a singing bird …

Motor learning is a core aspect of human life and appears to be ubiquitous throughout the
animal kingdom. Dopamine, a neuromodulator with a multifaceted role in synaptic plasticity …

Many behaviors are learned through trial and error by matching performance to internal
goals. Yet neural mechanisms of performance evaluation remain poorly understood. We …

Courtship displays often involve the concerted production of several distinct courtship
behaviors. The neural circuits that enable the concerted production of the component …

Hunger, thirst, loneliness and ambition determine the reward value of food, water, social
interaction and performance outcome. Dopamine neurons respond to rewards meeting …

The complex skills underlying verbal and musical expression can be learned without
external punishment or reward, indicating their learning is internally guided. The neural …

Learning vocal behaviors, like speech and birdsong, is thought to rely on continued
performance evaluation. Whether candidate performance evaluation circuits in the brain are …

Highlights•Genetic identification of brainstem neurons that gate mouse USVs.•Attractor
networks may convert auditory stimuli into vocal action.•The motor cortex plays a role in …

Juvenile songbirds learn vocal communication from adult tutors of the same species but not
from adults of other species. How species-specific learning emerges from the basic features …

Speech is a complex sensorimotor skill, and vocal learning involves both the basal ganglia
and the cerebellum. These subcortical structures interact indirectly through their respective …