Stephanie White
sawhite@ucla.edu
(310) 794-1888
610 Charles Young Drive, East
Los Angeles, CA 90095 610 Charles Young Drive, East
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Lab Number:
(310) 267-4017
Affiliations
Professor, Integrative Biology and Physiology, Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity
Member, Brain Research Institute, Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology GPB Home Area, Neuroscience GPB Home Area
Member, Brain Research Institute, Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology GPB Home Area, Neuroscience GPB Home Area
Research Interests
How do social interactions influence the brain? Our laboratory is interested in how social behaviors affect neuronal plasticity at sites responsible for learning in an Australian songbird, the zebra finch. Song learning is essential for reproductive opportunity and is mediated by known neural circuitry. In zebra finches, both the learned behavior and its underlying neural structures are sexually dimorphic, and plasticity is greatest during critical developmental phases. Within a comparative framework, we use behavioral, electrophysiological, and molecular techniques to investigate how social interactions shape gene expression patterns, how these changes modulate neuronal and circuit properties and ultimately, how this constellation of changes sculpts behavior.
Biography
Social influences on learning and memory How do social interactions influence the brain? Our laboratory is interested in how social behaviors affect neuronal plasticity at sites responsible for learning in an Australian songbird, the zebra finch. We study song learning behavior that is essential for reproductive opportunity and is mediated by known neural circuitry. In zebra finches, both the learned behavior and its underlying neural structures are sexually dimorphic, and plasticity is greatest during critical developmental phases. Within a comparative framework, we use behavioral, electrophysiological, and molecular techniques to investigate how social interactions shape gene expression patterns, how these changes modulate neural circuit properties and ultimately, how this constellation of changes sculpts behavior.
Publications
A selected list of publications:
- *Hilliard AT, *Miller JE, Fraley ER, Horvath S, White SA Molecular microcircuitry underlies functional specification in a basal ganglia circuit dedicated to vocal learning, Neuron, 2012; 73: 537-552.
- White, SA FoxP2 and vocalization, in ‘New Perspectives on the Origins of Language’, 2013; 144: 211-235.
- Panaitof SC, Abrahams BS, Dong H, Geschwind DH & White SA Language-related Cntnap2 is differentially expressed in sexually dimorphic nuclei essential for vocal learning in songbirds, Journal of Comparative Neurology, 2010; .
- Hilliard AT & White SA Evolutionary Precursors of Syntax, Biological Foundations and Origin of Syntax, edited by Derek Bickerton and Eörs Szathmáry; Strüngmann Forum Reports, 2009; 3: 161-182.
- Számadö S, Bishop D, d’Errico, F, Fischer J, Hurford J, Okanoya K, Szathmáry E & White SA What are the possible biological and genetic foundations for syntactic phenomena?, Biological Foundations and Origin of Syntax, edited by Derek Bickerton and Eörs Szathmáry; Strüngmann Forum Reports, 2009; 3: 207-236.
- Spence RD, Zhen Y, White S, Schlinger BA, Day LB Recovery of motor and cognitive function after cerebellar lesions in a songbird: role of estrogens The European Journal of Neuroscience, 2009; 29(6): 1225-34.
Download - Miller Julie E, Spiteri Elizabeth, Condro Michael C, Dosumu-Johnson Ryan T, Geschwind Daniel H, White Stephanie A Birdsong decreases protein levels of FoxP2, a molecule required for human speech Journal of Neurophysiology, 2008; 100(4): 2015-25.
- Teramitsu Ikuko, White Stephanie A Motor learning: the FoxP2 puzzle piece Current Biology, 2008; 18(8): R335-7.
- JE Miller & SA White The sleeping bird gets the song, Journal of Neurophysiology, 2007; 98: 3-4.
Download - Wada K, Howard J, McDonnell P, Lints T, Rivas MV, Whitney O, Horita H, Patterson M, White SA,Scharff C, Haesler S, Zhao S, Sakaguchi H, Hagiwara M, Shiraki T, Hirozane-Kishikawa T, Skene P, Hayashizaki Y, Carninci P& Jarvis ED A molecular neuroethological approach for identifying and characterizing a cascade of behaviorally regulated genes PNAS, 2006; 103: 15212-15217.
Download - White SA, Fisher SE, Geschwind DH, Scharff C, Holy TE Singing mice, songbirds and more: models for FOXP2 function and dysfunction in human speech and language Journal of Neuroscience, 2006; 26: 10376-10379.
Download - Poopatanapong A, Teramitsu I, Byun JS,Vician LJ, Herschman HR, White SA Singing, but not seizure, induces Synaptotagmin IV in zebra finch song nuclei Journal of Neurobiology, 2006; 66: 1613-1629.
Download - Teramitsu I & White SA FoxP2 regulation during undirected singing in adult songbirds Journal of Neuroscience, 2006; 26: 7390-7394.
Download - The Avian Brain Nomenclature Consortium Avian brains and a paradigm shift in understanding vertebrate brain evolution, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2005; 6: 151-159.
Download - Teramitsu, I Kudo, LC London, SE Geschwind, DH White, SA Parallel FoxP1 and FoxP2 expression in songbird and human brain predicts functional interaction The Journal of Neuroscience, 2004; 24(13): 3152-63.
- Scharff, C White, SA Genetic components of vocal learning Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2004; 1016: 325-47.
- Reiner A, Perkel D, Bruce L, Butler A, Csillag A, Kuenzel W, Medina L, Paxinos G, Powers A, Shimisu T, Striedter G, Wild M, Ball G, Durand S, Gunturkun O, Lee D, Mello C, White SA, Hough T, Kubikova L, Smulders T, Wada K, Dugas-Ford J, Husband S, Yamamoto K, Yu J, Siang C, Jarvis ED Revised nomenclature for avian telencephalon and some related brain nuclei Journal of Comparative Neurology, 2004; 473: 377-414.
- White SA Learning to communicate Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 2001; 11: 510-520.
- Livingston*FL, White*SA, & Mooney R Slow NMDA-PSCs at synapses critical for song development are not required for song learning in zebra finches Nature Neuroscience, 2000; 3: 482-488.
- Fernald RD & White SA Social control of brains: from behavior to genes, The Cognitive Neurosciences, 1999; 2nd edition: 1193-1208.
- White SA & Mooney R Can an old bird change his tune? Current Biology, 1999; 9: R688-690.
- White, SA Livingston, FS Mooney, R Androgens modulate NMDA receptor-mediated EPSCs in the zebra finch song system Journal of Neurophysiology, 1999; 82(5): 2221-34.
- Spiro, JE White, SA Neuroethology: a meeting of brain and behavior Neuron, 1998; 21(5): 981-9.
- Hilliard AT, Miller JE, Horvath S & White SA Distinct neurogenomic states in basal ganglia subregions relate differently to singing behavior in songbirds, PLoS Computational Biology, 2012; 8: e1002773.
- White Stephanie A, Fisher Simon E, Geschwind Daniel H, Scharff Constance, Holy Timothy E Singing mice, songbirds, and more: models for FOXP2 function and dysfunction in human speech and language The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2006; 26(41): 10376-9.
- Miller Julie E, Hilliard Austin T, White Stephanie A Song practice promotes acute vocal variability at a key stage of sensorimotor learning PloS one, 2010; 5(1): e8592.
- White Stephanie A Genes and vocal learning Brain and language, 2010; 115(1): 21-8.
- Teramitsu Ikuko, Poopatanapong Amy, Torrisi Salvatore, White Stephanie A Striatal FoxP2 is actively regulated during songbird sensorimotor learning PloS one, 2010; 5(1): e8548.
- Nilson Paige Crystal, Teramitsu Ikuko, White Stephanie Ann Caudal thoracic air sac cannulation in zebra finches for isoflurane anesthesia Journal of neuroscience methods, 2005; 143(2): 107-15.
- Teramitsu Ikuko, White Stephanie A FoxP2 regulation during undirected singing in adult songbirds The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2006; 26(28): 7390-4.
- Reiner Anton, Perkel David J, Bruce Laura L, Butler Ann B, Csillag András, Kuenzel Wayne, Medina Loreta, Paxinos George, Shimizu Toru, Striedter Georg, Wild Martin, Ball Gregory F, Durand Sarah, Gütürkün Onur, Lee Diane W, Mello Claudio V, Powers Alice, White Stephanie A, Hough Gerald, Kubikova Lubica, Smulders Tom V, Wada Kazuhiro, Dugas-Ford Jennifer, Husband Scott, Yamamoto Keiko, Yu Jing, Siang Connie, Jarvis Erich D The Avian Brain Nomenclature Forum: Terminology for a New Century in Comparative Neuroanatomy The Journal of comparative neurology, 2004; 473(1): E1-E6.
- Condro Michael C, White Stephanie A Distribution of language-related Cntnap2 protein in neural circuits critical for vocal learning The Journal of comparative neurology, 2014; 522(1): 169-85.
- Heston Jonathan B, White Stephanie A Behavior-linked FoxP2 regulation enables zebra finch vocal learning The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2015; 35(7): 2885-94.
- Chen Qianqian, Heston Jonathan B, Burkett Zachary D, White Stephanie A Expression analysis of the speech-related genes FoxP1 and FoxP2 and their relation to singing behavior in two songbird species The Journal of experimental biology, 2013; 216(Pt 19): 3682-92.
- Whitney Osceola, Voyles Tawni, Hara Erina, Chen Qianqian, White Stephanie A, Wright Timothy F Differential FoxP2 and FoxP1 expression in a vocal learning nucleus of the developing budgerigar Developmental neurobiology, 2015; 75(7): 778-90.
- White Stephanie A, Nguyen Tuan, Fernald Russell D Social regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone The Journal of experimental biology, 2002; 205(Pt 17): 2567-81.
- Jarvis Erich D, Güntürkün Onur, Bruce Laura, Csillag András, Karten Harvey, Kuenzel Wayne, Medina Loreta, Paxinos George, Perkel David J, Shimizu Toru, Striedter Georg, Wild J Martin, Ball Gregory F, Dugas-Ford Jennifer, Durand Sarah E, Hough Gerald E, Husband Scott, Kubikova Lubica, Lee Diane W, Mello Claudio V, Powers Alice, Siang Connie, Smulders Tom V, Wada Kazuhiro, White Stephanie A, Yamamoto Keiko, Yu Jing, Reiner Anton, Butler Ann B, Butler Ann B Avian brains and a new understanding of vertebrate brain evolution Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 2005; 6(2): 151-9.
- Grant Laura M, Richter Franziska, Miller Julie E, White Stephanie A, Fox Cynthia M, Zhu Chunni, Chesselet Marie-Francoise, Ciucci Michelle R Vocalization deficits in mice over-expressing alpha-synuclein, a model of pre-manifest Parkinson’s disease Behavioral neuroscience, 2014; 128(2): 110-21.
- Burkett Zachary D, Day Nancy F, Peñagarikano Olga, Geschwind Daniel H, White Stephanie A VoICE: A semi-automated pipeline for standardizing vocal analysis across models Scientific reports, 2015; 5(7): 10237.
- Condro Michael C, White Stephanie A Recent Advances in the Genetics of Vocal Learning Comparative cognition & behavior reviews, 2014; 9(2): 75-98.
- Hara Erina, Perez Jemima M, Whitney Osceola, Chen Qianqian, White Stephanie A, Wright Timothy F Neural FoxP2 and FoxP1 expression in the budgerigar, an avian species with adult vocal learning Behavioural brain research, 2015; 283(7): 22-9.
- Berg Jamee M, Lee Changhoon, Chen Leslie, Galvan Laurie, Cepeda Carlos, Chen Jane Y, Peñagarikano Olga, Stein Jason L, Li Alvin, Oguro-Ando Asami, Miller Jeremy A, Vashisht Ajay A, Starks Mary E, Kite Elyse P, Tam Eric, Gdalyahu Amos, Al-Sharif Noor B, Burkett Zachary D, White Stephanie A, Fears Scott C, Levine Michael S, Wohlschlegel James A, Geschwind Daniel H JAKMIP1, a Novel Regulator of Neuronal Translation, Modulates Synaptic Function and Autistic-like Behaviors in Mouse Neuron, 2015; 88(6): 1173-91.
- Miller Julie E, Hafzalla George W, Burkett Zachary D, Fox Cynthia M, White Stephanie A Reduced vocal variability in a zebra finch model of dopamine depletion: implications for Parkinson disease Physiological reports, 2015; 3(11): .
- Fraley E R, Burkett Z D, Day N F, Schwartz B A, Phelps P E, White S A Mice with Dab1 or Vldlr insufficiency exhibit abnormal neonatal vocalization patterns Scientific reports, 2016; 6(3): 25807.