Daniela Vallentin
| Daniela Vallentin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Germany |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Common nightingale Research]], Songbird, Zebrafinch, Neurophysiology, Systems Neuroscience, in vivo Electrophysiology, Numerical representations in non-human primates) |
| 🏅 Awards | Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award |
Daniela Vallentin (born 1979[1]) is a German neuroscientist who is a Principal investigator[2] at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Seewiesen. She studies neural circuits that underlie motor learning and coordination of precise movements[2] --including vocal production and speech-- using complex vocal behaviour in songbirds. She is an expert in particular for nightingale song.
Education and early research
Dr. Vallentin is a neuroscientist who has made substantial contributions to the field of avian neurobiology, particularly with regard to the neural mechanism of song learning and reproduction.
Dr. Vallentin’s academic career began at Humboldt Universität Berlin, where she pursued a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from 1998 to 2000. Later, Dr. Vallentin completed a master's degree in Mathematics at Technische Universität Berlin from 2001 to 2005.
Dr. Vallentin’s doctoral work in neuroscience was by supervised by Andreas Nieder and took place from 2005 to 2010. She defended her thesis --"Quantitative Reasoning in Non-Human Primates’-- in 2005. Her work provided an understanding of the cognitive abilities with regard to numeric intuition and estimating numbers in non-human primates and investigated some of the underlying neural mechanisms..[3] Subsequently, Vallentin became a contributing author to the Oxford Handbook of Numerical cognition[4].
During the years 2010 to 2016, Dr. Vallentin conducted postdoctoral research on the topic of song learning and production. Under the guidance of Prof. Michael A. Long at the NYU School of Medicine in New York, USA, she researched the neural mechanisms involved in learning and stabilisation of avian vocalizations, showing the importance of inhibitory activity to retain and lock in memories [5] [6][7].
Scientific career
From 2016 to 2019, Dr. Vallentin served as a Junior Research Group Leader as part of the Emmy Noether Program at the Freie Universität Berlin, where she continued to focus on the neural mechanisms underlying song learning in zebra finches[8].
Since 2019, Dr. Vallentin has held the position of Max Planck Research Group Leader under the Lise Meitner Program at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence [2] (formerly known as the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology) in Seewiesen. Her research group is dedicated to investigating various aspects of avian cognition and behavior, primarily focusing on the neural circuits that facilitate skilled motor learning and coordinate precise movements.
Vallentin and her group use birdsong as a model for how to learn complex vocal behaviors through a self-guided learning process. They investigate the developmental changes in the songbird brain during song learning, explore the neural representation of the song template and study the coordination of vocalizations. Since 2019, Vallentin has expanded the focus of her research[2] on flexibly adapted motor patterns and has thus begun to devote large energies to understanding song production and adaptation in the common nightingale.
Developmental Changes in the Songbird Brain During Song Learning: One of the main areas of investigation for Vallentin remain the developmental changes that occur in the songbird brain during song learning. Specifically, Vallentin's group focus on the avian forebrain cortical region called HVC, which is central to song production. Vallentin found that the precise nature of excitatory/inhibitory interactions determine successful learning of a tutor song, independently of the developmental age of the bird. The group continues its exploration of how the activity of premotor and inhibitory neurons in HVC shape -and are shaped by- the developmental changes during learning[9].
To explore where and how the neural memory of the song template emerges, the lab employs targeted song training, behavioral observations, and electrophysiological recording during development. They focus on the higher-order auditory areas to explore memory formation and consolidation in the motor program during song learning[10]
Coordination of Vocalizations in Songbirds: The Vallentin lab also investigates how songbirds coordinate their vocalizations, particularly with regard to so-called vocal turn-taking. In particular, the group studies the role of the premotor nucleus HVC and inhibition in regulating vocal timing in the common nightingale. In this work, playback experiments in real-world and laboratory conditions help explain the capabilities of vocal turn-taking at millisecond timescales. The research on nightingales aims to reveal general principles of motor circuits and contribute to the understanding of motor circuits and skilled motor learning in diverse species, including humans. In focusing on Nightingale song, Dr. Vallentin and her group has revived the small research field of nightingale song, making her one of the few living experts on nightingale song[11][12]
Outreach, Education, and Popular Science
Throughout her career, Dr. Vallentin has committed to advancing our understanding of the neural processes underlying complex behaviors in avian species. She also participants regularly in several outreach activities, including European[13] and African[14] neuroscience summer courses and public educational events[15][16].
Awards and fellowships
Daniela Vallentin has received recognition for her academic achievements and contributions to the field of song bird physiology and ornithology. In 2016 she received the Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Award[17] by the American Society for Neuroscience, as well as the Emmy Noether Research Award by the German Research Foundation. In 2017, Dr Vallentin was awarded a European Research Council Starting Grant[18]. Earlier, Dr Vallentin received a DFG Research Fellowship by the German Research Foundation for her postdoctoral work at New York University from 2011-2013.
Select publications
- Jacob, S. N.; Vallentin, D.; Nieder, A. (2012). "Relating magnitudes: The brain's code for proportions". Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 16 (3): 157–166. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2012.02.002.
- Vallentin, D.; Nieder, A. (2008-09-23). "Behavioral and prefrontal representation of spatial proportions in the monkey". Current Biology. 18 (18): 1420–1425. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2008.08.042.
- Vallentin, D.; Kosche, G.; Lipkind, D.; Long, M. A. (2016-01-15). "Inhibition protects acquired song segments during vocal learning in zebra finches". Science. 351 (6270): 267–271. doi:10.1126/science.aad3023.
- Vallentin, D.; Long, M. A. (2015-01-07). "Motor origin of precise synaptic inputs onto forebrain neurons driving a skilled behavior". Journal of Neuroscience. 35 (1): 299–307. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3698-14.2015.
- Norton, P.; Scharff, C.; Varga, M. (2022-06-07). "A feedforward inhibitory premotor circuit for auditory–vocal interactions in zebra finches". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 119 (23): e2118448119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2118448119.
References
- ↑ "Dr. Vallentin's age mentioned in a newspaper article". Archived from the original on 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2023-08-09.CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Reference Page - Max Planck Group".
- ↑ D. Vallentin, A. Nieder (2008). "Behavioural and prefrontal representation of spatial proportions in the monkey". Current Biology.
- ↑ "Oxford Handbook of Numerical Cognition".
- ↑ "New York Times article on work by Vallentin".
- ↑ D. Vallentin, G. Kosche, D. Lipkind, M.A. Long (2016). "Inhibition protects acquired song segments during vocal learning in zebra finches". Science.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
- ↑ Kosche, Vallentin, Long (2016). "Interplay of inhibition and excitation shapes a premotor neural sequence". Journal of Neuroscience.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
- ↑ "Reference Page - Freie Universität Berlin".
- ↑ "Current Research of the Vallentin Lab".
- ↑ "Virtual Seminar on Neural Mechanisms of Vocal Interactions in Songbirds".
- ↑ "Newspaper Article (German) on Vallentin's Research".
- ↑ "Discussion of Vallentin's work with regards to her ERC Starting Grant".
- ↑ "Transylvanian Neuroscience Summer School".
- ↑ "Computational Neuroscience Imbizo Cape Town".
- ↑ "Munich Brain Days Announcment".
- ↑ "Urania Berlin Podcast".
- ↑ "List of Peter and Patricia Gruber International Research Awardees".
- ↑ "Announcement of Vallentin's ERC Starting Grant" (PDF).
External links
- Laboratory page
- Institute Lab Portal
- Daniela Vallentin publications indexed by Google Scholar
- University contact
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