FRANZ GOLLER
Franz Goller
email: goller@biology.utah.edu		 Associate Professor of Biology

Brain and Behavior

1st Diploma 1982, University of Innsbruck; M.S. 1986, University of Innsbruck; Ph.D. 1991, University of Notre Dame; Postdoctoral Research Associate 1991-1994, Indiana University.

RESEARCH:

Dr. Goller studies the behavioral physiology of sound production and song learning in birds. Current projects focus on 1) physical mechanisms of sound production; 2) the motor coordination between all motor systems involved in singing; 3) coordination between vocal and visual displays; 4) motor aspects of vocal development; 5) acoustic models and song syntax; 6) energetics of song production. The integrative aspects of these studies at the interface of neurobiology and behavior provide a unique opportunity to bridge neural control of a complex learned behavior to its evolutionary and ecological relevance in the natural environment.

Selected Publications

Cooper, B. G., and Goller, F. (2006) Physiological insights into the social context dependent changes in the rhythm of the song motor program. J. Neurophysiol, 95:3798-3809.

Cooper, B. G., and Goller, F. (2004) Multimodal signals: enhancement and constraint of song motor patterns by visual display. Science, 303:544-546.

Rose, G. J., Goller, F., Gritton, H. J., Plamondon, S. L., Baugh, A. T., and Cooper, B. G. (2004) Species-typical; songs in white-crowned sparrows tutored with only phrase pairs. Nature, 432:753-758.

Elemans, C. P., Spierts, I. L., Müller, U. K., van Leeuwen, J. L., and Goller, F. (2004) Superfast muscles control dove's trill. Nature, 431:146.

Cooper, B. G., and Goller, F. (2004) Partial muting leads to age-dependent modification of motor patterns underlying crystallized zebra finch song. J. Neurobiol., 61:317-332.

Goller, F., Mallinckrodt, M. J., and Torti, S. D. (2004) Beak gape dynamics during song in the zebra finch. J. Neurobiol., 59:289-303.

Goller, F., and Cooper, B. G. (2004) Peripheral motor dynamics of song production in the zebra finch. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1016:130-152.

Franz, M., and Goller, F. (2003) Respiratory patterns and oxygen consumption in singing zebra finches. J. Exp. Biol., 206:967-978.

Goller, F., and Larsen, O. N. (2002) New perspectives on mechanisms of sound generation in songbirds. J. Comp. Physiol. A., 188:841-850.

Suthers, R .A., Goller, F., and Wild, J. M. (2002) Somatosensory feedback modulates the respiratory motor program of crystallized birdsong. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99:5680-5685.

Franz, M., and Goller, F. (2002) Respiratory units of motor production and song imitation in the zebra finch. J. Neurobiol. 51:129-141.

Goller, F., and Daley, M. A. (2001) Novel motor gestures for phonation during inspiration enhance the acoustic complexity of birdsong. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 268:2301-2305.

Larsen, O. N., and Goller, F. (1999) Role of syringeal vibrations in bird vocalisations. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 266:1609-1615.

Goller, F., and Larsen, O. N. (1997) A new mechanism of sound generation in songbirds. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:14787-14791.

Goller, F., and Suthers, R. A. (1995) Implications for lateralization of bird song from unilateral gating of bilateral motor patterns. Nature Lond. 373:63-66.

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