Ofer Tchernichovski

Ofer Tchernichovski uses the songbird to study mechanisms of vocal learning. Like early speech development in the human infant, the songbird learns to imitate complex sounds during a critical period of development. The adult bird cannot imitate any more - we do not know why. His lab studies the animal behavior and dynamics of vocal learning and sound production across different brain levels. The lab aims to uncover the specific physiological and molecular (gene expression) brain processes that underlie song learning. He can be reached by phone at 650.8540 or by email at ofer@ccny.cuny.edu.

Selected Publications

Feher, O., Wang, H., Saar, S., Mitra, PP, Tchernichovski, O. (2009) De novo establishment of wild-type song culture in the zebra finch. Nature 459 2009 DOI: 10.1038

Tchernichovski, O., Wallman, Josh (2008). Neurons of imitation. Nature 451 17 pp 249-250  

Voss, H. U., Tabelow, K., Polzehl, J, Tchernichovski, O., Maul, K. K., Salgado-Commissariat, D., Ballon, D.  and Helekar, S. A. (2007) Functional MRI suggests a lateralized topography of responses to song stimulation in the zebra finch brain. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. (U.S.A.) 104, 10667-10672.

Deregnaucourt S, Mitra PP, Feher O, Pytte C, Tchernichovski O (2005) How sleep affects the developmental learning of bird song. Nature, Vol. 433, No. 7027. (17 February 2005), pp. 710-716.

Tchernichovski, O., Lints T., Deregnaucourt S., Mitra P.P. (2004). Studying the entire song development: Methods and Rationale. . Annals of the New York Academy of Science. 1016: 348–363 (an invited, but reviewed article, special issue: Neurobiology of Birdsong, Eds. Ziegler & Marler).

Tchernichovski, O., Mitra, P.P., Lints, T., Nottebohm, F. (2001) Dynamics of the vocal imitation process: how a zebra finch learns its song. Science, 291 (5513) 2564-2569.