Conclusion
Our model can reproduce the experimentally observed song syntax of the Bengalese finch and its disruption when auditory feedback is interrupted. It provides a framework for theoretical investigations of HVC activity and changes in the song syntax in response to specific feedback disturbances. Additionally, the model predicts priming of HVC neurons at the transition between individual syllables that could be tested in further experimental studies.
From a theoretical point of view the individual syllables can be regarded as primitives of the song which are combined following a given syntax. Hence, our reafferent model demonstrates how compositionality of a system can be realized given neurobiologically realistic assumptions.