Stephanie A. White, Ph.D.

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Titles

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

Contact Information

Email
sawhite@ucla.edu
Phone
Lab Number: (310) 267-4017Office Phone Number: (310) 794-1888
Address
Work Address: Laboratory610 Charles Young Drive, EastLos Angeles, CA 90095UNITED STATES Office610 Charles Young Drive, EastLos Angeles, CA 90095UNITED STATES
Website
http://www.physci.ucla.edu/research/white

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:

White, SA   FoxP2 and vocalisation, , 2013; .
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.
*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   Genes and vocal learning, Brain and Language, 2010; 115: 21-28.
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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; .
Miller JE, Hilliard AT & White SA   Song practice promotes acute vocal variability during sensorimotor learning PLoS ONE, 2010; 5(1): e8592.
Teramitsu I, Poopatanapong A, Torrisi S & White SA   Striatal FoxP2 is actively regulated during songbird sensorimotor learning PLoS ONE, 2010; 5(1): e8548.
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.
JE Miller & SA White   The sleeping bird gets the song, Journal of Neurophysiology, 2007; 98: 3-4.
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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.
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Teramitsu I & White SA   FoxP2 regulation during undirected singing in adult songbirds Journal of Neuroscience, 2006; 26: 7390-7394.
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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.
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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.
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The Avian Brain Nomenclature Consortium   Avian brains and a paradigm shift in understanding vertebrate brain evolution, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2005; 6: 151-159.
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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.
White SA & Mooney R   Can an old bird change his tune? Current Biology, 1999; 9: R688-690.
Fernald RD & White SA   Social control of brains: from behavior to genes, The Cognitive Neurosciences, 1999; 2nd edition: 1193-1208.
White, SA Fernald, RD   Changing through doing: behavioral influences on the brain Recent progress in hormone research, 1997; 52: 455-73; discussion 473-4.
Fox* HE, White* SA, Kau MHF & Fernald RD   Stress and dominance in a social fish Journal of Neuroscience, 1997; 17: 6463-6469.
White SA & Fernald RD   Gonadotropin-releasing hormone-containing neurons change size with reproductive state in female Haplochromis burtoni, Journal of Neuroscience, 1993; 13: 434-441.
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.
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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.
Nilson, PC Teramitsu, I White, SA   Caudal thoracic air sac cannulation in zebra finches for isoflurane anesthesia Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2005; 143: 107-15.
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Scharff, C White, SA   Genetic components of vocal learning Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2004; 1016: 325-47.
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.
White, SA Nguyen, T Fernald, RD   Social regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2002; 205: 2567-81.
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.
White, SA Kasten, TL Bond, CT Adelman, JP Fernald, RD   Three gonadotropin-releasing hormone genes in one organism suggest novel roles for an ancient peptide Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1995; 92(18): 8363-7.
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.
Hilliard Austin T, Miller Julie E, Fraley Elizabeth R, Horvath Steve, White Stephanie A   Molecular microcircuitry underlies functional specification in a basal ganglia circuit dedicated to vocal learning Neuron, 2012; 73(3): 537-52.
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.
Hilliard Austin T, Miller Julie E, Horvath Steve, White Stephanie A   Distinct neurogenomic states in basal ganglia subregions relate differently to singing behavior in songbirds PLoS computational biology, 2012; 8(11): e1002773.
Teramitsu Ikuko, Kudo Lili C, London Sarah E, Geschwind Daniel H, White Stephanie A   Parallel FoxP1 and FoxP2 expression in songbird and human brain predicts functional interaction The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2004; 24(13): 3152-63.
Panaitof S Carmen, Abrahams Brett S, Dong Hongmei, Geschwind Daniel H, White Stephanie A   Language-related Cntnap2 gene is differentially expressed in sexually dimorphic song nuclei essential for vocal learning in songbirds The Journal of comparative neurology, 2010; 518(11): 1995-2018.