David J. Perkel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology and Otolaryngology

perkel@u.washington.edu

Major Education:
BA, Harvard University
Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco

Research Interests:
We are interested in how the nervous system generates complex learned behavior. To this end, we study vocal learning in songbirds. A young songbird memorizes a song from another bird, usually his father; later he practices, learning to produce songs that match his memory of the other bird's song. This process bears some similarity to human speech learning. The songbird brain possesses discrete regions (nuclei) that are devoted to song learning, recognition and production, and this helps us focus our attention on the right portions of the brain. We use neuroanatomical, in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological, and behavioral approaches to determine: the detailed wiring of these circuits, the functional properties of their neurons and synapses; and how these elements interact to learn and produce song.

The Perkel Lab