Parakeets Share Brain Patterns With Humans When ‘Speaking,’ Study Finds   

• A new study has revealed that parakeets, specifically budgerigars, use brain mechanisms similar to those of humans for vocal production. The findings, published online on March 19 in the journal Nature by a team from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, suggest that these small parrots may be a valuable model for studying human language ability and speech disorders. Researchers tracked activity in a part of the budgies’ brains called the anterior arcopallium (AAC) as they produced vocal sounds. They found that the neural patterns were strikingly similar to those in the human brain during speech, showing flexible and creative control over vocal output. Study co-author Michael Long describes the AAC as a “vocal keyboard” that allows budgies to reconfigure motor commands to produce a wide range of sounds, such as consonants, vowels, and high and low pitches, much like how humans speak. These findings contrast sharply with the researchers’ observations of zebra finches, a species of songbird that can only learn rigid songs through fixed patterns of neural activity established via trial and error. Since parrots are one of the few non-human species capable of mimicking human speech, the discoveries made in this study offer promising insights for future research into speech disorders affecting millions. J.K. Park Staff Reporter junior/1744099869/1613368089