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Eliot A. Brenowitz - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Neurogenesis in the Adult Avian Song-Control System
Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology, 2015Co-Authors: Eliot A. Brenowitz, Tracy A. LarsonAbstract:New neurons are added throughout the forebrain of adult birds. The Song-Control System is a model to investigate the addition of new long-projection neurons to a cortical circuit that regulates Song, a learned sensorimotor behavior. Neuroblasts destined for the Song nucleus HVC arise in the walls of the lateral ventricle, and wander through the pallium to reach HVC. The survival of new HVC neurons is supported by gonadally secreted testosterone and its downstream effectors including neurotrophins, vascularization, and electrical activity of postsynaptic neurons in nucleus RA (robust nucleus of the arcopallium). In seasonal species, the HVC→RA circuit degenerates in nonbreeding birds, and is reconstructed by the incorporation of new projection neurons in breeding birds. There is a functional linkage between the death of mature HVC neurons and the birth of new neurons. Various hypotheses for the function of adult neurogenesis in the Song System can be proposed, but this remains an open question.
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Transsynaptic trophic effects of steroid hormones in an avian model of adult brain plasticity.
Frontiers in neuroendocrinology, 2014Co-Authors: Eliot A. BrenowitzAbstract:The avian Song Control System provides an excellent model for studying transsynaptic trophic effects of steroid sex hormones. Seasonal changes in Systemic testosterone (T) and its metabolites regulate plasticity of this System. Steroids interact with the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to influence cellular processes of plasticity in nucleus HVC of adult birds, including the addition of newborn neurons. This interaction may also occur transsynpatically; T increases the synthesis of BDNF in HVC, and BDNF protein is then released by HVC neurons on to postsynaptic cells in nucleus RA where it has trophic effects on activity and morphology. Androgen action on RA neurons increases their activity and this has a retrograde trophic effect on the addition of new neurons to HVC. The functional linkage of sex steroids to BDNF may be of adaptive value in regulating the trophic effects of the neurotrophin and coordinating circuit function in reproductively relevant contexts.
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Postsynaptic neural activity regulates neuronal addition in the adult avian Song Control System
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2013Co-Authors: Tracy A. Larson, Tsu Wei Wang, Samuel D. Gale, Kimberly E. Miller, Nivretta M. Thatra, Melissa L. Caras, David J. Perkel, Eliot A. BrenowitzAbstract:A striking feature of the nervous System is that it shows extensive plasticity of structure and function that allows animals to adjust to changes in their environment. Neural activity plays a key role in mediating experience-dependent neural plasticity and, thus, creates a link between the external environment, the nervous System, and behavior. One dramatic example of neural plasticity is ongoing neurogenesis in the adult brain. The role of neural activity in modulating neuronal addition, however, has not been well studied at the level of neural circuits. The avian Song Control System allows us to investigate how activity influences neuronal addition to a neural circuit that regulates Song, a learned sensorimotor social behavior. In adult white-crowned sparrows, new neurons are added continually to the Song nucleus HVC (proper name) and project their axons to its target nucleus, the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA). We report here that electrical activity in RA regulates neuronal addition to HVC. Decreasing neural activity in RA by intracerebral infusion of the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol decreased the number of new HVC neurons by 56%. Our results suggest that postsynaptic electrical activity influences the addition of new neurons into a functional neural circuit in adult birds.
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Testosterone and brain-derived neurotrophic factor interactions in the avian Song Control System
Neuroscience, 2012Co-Authors: Eliot A. BrenowitzAbstract:Interaction between steroid sex hormones and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a common feature of vertebrate brain organization. The avian Song Control System provides an excellent model for studying such interactions in neural circuits that regulate Song, a learned sensorimotor behavior that is often sexually dimorphic and restricted to reproductive contexts. Testosterone (T) and its steroid metabolites interact with BDNF during development of the Song System and in adult plasticity, including the addition of newborn neurons to the pallial nucleus HVC and seasonal changes in structure and function of these circuits. T and BDNF interact locally within HVC to influence cell proliferation and survival. This interaction may also occur transsynpatically; T increases the synthesis of BDNF in HVC, and BDNF protein is then released on to postsynaptic cells in the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) where it has trophic effects. The interaction between sex steroids and BDNF is an example of molecular exploitation, with the evolutionarily ancient steroid-receptor complex having been captured by the more recently evolved BDNF. The functional linkage of sex steroids to BDNF may be of adaptive value in regulating the trophic effects of the neurotrophin in sexually dimorphic and reproductively relevant contexts.
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neuroprotective effects of testosterone in a naturally occurring model of neurodegeneration in the adult avian Song Control System
The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 2010Co-Authors: Christopher K. Thompson, Eliot A. BrenowitzAbstract:Seasonal regression of the avian Song Control System, a series of discrete brain nuclei that regulate Song learning and production, serves as a useful model for investigating the neuroprotective effects of steroids. In seasonally breeding male Songbirds, the Song Control System regresses rapidly when males are transferred from breeding to nonbreeding physiological conditions. One nucleus in particular, the HVC, regresses in volume by 22% within days of castration and transfer to a nonbreeding photoperiod. This regression is mediated primarily by a 30% decrease in neuron number, a result of a caspase-dependent process of programmed cell death. Here we examine whether testosterone (T) can act locally in the brain to prevent seasonal-like neurodegeneration in HVC. We began to infuse T intracerebrally near HVC on one side of the brain in breedingcondition male white-crowned sparrows 2 days prior to T withdrawal and shifting them to short-day photoperiods. The birds were killed 3 or 7 days later. Local T infusion significantly protected ipsilateral HVC from volume regression and neuron loss. In addition, T infusion significantly reduced the number, density, and number/ 1,000 neurons of activated caspase-3 cells and cells positive for cleaved PARP, both markers for programmed cell death, in the ipsilateral HVC. T infusion near HVC also prevented regression of ipsilateral efferent targets of HVC neurons, including the volumes of robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) and Area X and the soma area and density of RA neurons. Thus T can act locally in the brain to have a neuroprotective effect and act transsynaptically to prevent regression of efferent nuclei. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:4760–4770, 2010.
Gregory F Ball - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Pleiotropic Control by Testosterone of a Learned Vocal Behavior and Its Underlying Neuroplasticity(1,2,3).
eNeuro, 2016Co-Authors: Beau A. Alward, Jacques Balthazart, Farrah N. Madison, Shannon E. Parker, Gregory F BallAbstract:Abstract Steroid hormones coordinate multiple aspects of behavior and physiology. The same hormone often regulates different aspects of a single behavior and its underlying neuroplasticity. This pleiotropic regulation of behavior and physiology is not well understood. Here, we investigated the orchestration by testosterone (T) of birdSong and its neural substrate, the Song Control System. Male canaries were castrated and received stereotaxic implants filled with T in select brain areas. Implanting T solely in the medial preoptic nucleus (POM) increased the motivation to sing, but did not enhance aspects of Song quality such as acoustic structure and stereotypy. In birds implanted with T solely in HVC (proper name), a key sensorimotor region of the Song Control System, little or no Song was observed, similar to castrates that received no T implants of any sort. However, implanting T in HVC and POM simultaneously rescued all measures of Song quality. Song amplitude, though, was still lower than what was observed in birds receiving peripheral T treatment. T in POM enhanced HVC volume bilaterally, likely due to activity-dependent changes resulting from an enhanced Song rate. T directly in HVC, without increasing Song rate, enhanced HVC volume on the ipsilateral side only. T in HVC enhanced the incorporation and recruitment of new neurons into this nucleus, while singing activity can independently influence the incorporation of new neurons into HVC. These results have broad implications for how steroid hormones integrate across different brain regions to coordinate complex social behaviors.
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Variation in the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-1 and the Song Control System in the tropical breeding rufous-collared sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) is dependent on sex and reproductive state.
General and comparative endocrinology, 2012Co-Authors: Tyler J. Stevenson, Gregory F Ball, Thomas W. Small, Ignacio T. MooreAbstract:Seasonal breeding in temperate zone vertebrates is characterised by pronounced variation in both central and peripheral reproductive physiology as well as behaviour. In contrast, many tropical species have a comparatively longer and less of a seasonal pattern of breeding than their temperate zone counterparts. These extended, more "flexible" reproductive periods may be associate with a lesser degree of annual variation in reproductive physiology. Here we investigated variation in the neuroendocrine Control of reproduction in relation to the changes in the neural Song Control System in a tropical breeding Songbird the rufous-collared sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis). Using in situ hybridization, we show that the optical density of GnRH1 mRNA expression is relatively constant across pre-breeding and breeding states. However, males were found to have significantly greater expression compared to females regardless of breeding state. Both males and females showed marked variation in measures of peripheral reproductive physiology with greater gonadal volumes and concentrations of sex steroids in the blood (i.e. testosterone in males; estrogen in females) during the breeding season as compared to the pre-breeding season. These findings suggest that the environmental cues regulating breeding in a tropical breeding bird ultimately exert their effects on physiology at the level of the median eminence and regulate the release of GnRH1. In addition, histological analysis of the Song Control System HVC, RA and Area X revealed that breeding males had significantly larger volumes of these brain nuclei as compared to non-breeding males, breeding females, and non-breeding females. Females did not exhibit a significant difference in the size of Song Control regions across breeding states. Together, these data show a marked sex difference in the extent to which there is breeding-associated variation in reproductive physiology and brain plasticity that is dependent on the reproductive state in a tropical breeding Songbird.
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Variation in enkephalin immunoreactivity in the social behavior network and Song Control System of male European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) is dependent on breeding state and gonadal condition
Journal of chemical neuroanatomy, 2011Co-Authors: Tyler J. Stevenson, Marc D. Calabrese, Gregory F BallAbstract:Many temperate zone Songbird species exhibit marked seasonal variation in Song quality as well as in the motivation to sing. Two brain Systems are known to mediate such annual variation in Song quality and motivation: (1) the Song Control System (SCS), and (2) the social behavior network (SBN), respectively. How these two circuits interact to produce changes in singing behavior is not well understood. The opioid enkephalin is expressed in both the SCS and SBN and may function to modulate Song quality in a socially relevant manner. Using immunocytochemistry, we examined variation in enkephalin immunoreactivity (ENK-ir) in male European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) that were in breeding conditions (i.e. photostimulated) or non-breeding conditions (i.e. photorefractory). We also included a group of castrated photostimulated males to investigate the relationship between gonadal steroids and ENK-ir. ENK-ir in the preoptic area (POA) and lateral septum (LS) was greater in photostimulated intact birds as compared to photorefractory males, but not in other regions within the SBN. There was a significant difference in ENK-ir in two forebrain Song nuclei, HVC and the lateral nucleus of the anterior medial nidopallium (lMAN), with lower expression in photostimulated intact as compared to photorefractory birds. ENK-ir did not change across breeding conditions in the Nucleus Interface (NIf). After accounting for the volumetric change in HVC and lMAN, the pattern of ENK-ir remained greater in photorefractory compared to intact photostimulated starlings. We propose that the observed regulation of ENK-ir in the POA and LS may be related to seasonal changes in the motivation to engage in singing behavior, while the change in ENK-ir in the Song System are associated with the quality of the Song produced. Thus seasonal changes in a single neuromodulatory System can have very different functional effects based on the neuroanatomical specificity of its expression.
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Expression of reelin, its receptors and its intracellular signaling protein, Disabled1 in the canary brain: Relationships with the Song Control System
Neuroscience, 2008Co-Authors: Jacques Balthazart, Cornelia Voigt, Géraldine Boseret, Gregory F BallAbstract:Songbirds produce learned vocalizations that are Controlled by a specialized network of neural structures, the Song Control System. Several nuclei in this Song Control System demonstrate a marked degree of adult seasonal plasticity. Nucleus volume varies seasonally based on changes in cell size or spacing, and in the case of nucleus HVC and area X on the incorporation of new neurons. Reelin, a large glycoprotein defective in reeler mice, is assumed to determine the final location of migrating neurons in the developing brain. In mammals, reelin is also expressed in the adult brain but its functions are less well characterized. We investigated the relationships between the expression of reelin and/or its receptors and the dramatic seasonal plasticity in the canary (Serinus canaria) brain. We detected a broad distribution of the reelin protein, its mRNA and the mRNAs encoding for the reelin receptors (VLDLR and ApoER2) as well as for its intracellular signaling protein, Disabled1. These different mRNAs and proteins did not display the same neuroanatomical distribution and were not clearly associated, in an exclusive manner, with telencephalic brain areas that incorporate new neurons in adulthood. Song Control nuclei were associated with a particular specialized expression of reelin and its mRNA, with the reelin signal being either denser or lighter in the Song nucleus than in the surrounding tissue. The density of reelin-immunoreactive structures did not seem to be affected by 4 weeks of treatment with exogenous testosterone. These observations do not provide conclusive evidence that reelin plays a prominent role in the positioning of new neurons in the adult canary brain but call for additional work on this protein analyzing its expression comparatively during development and in adulthood with a better temporal resolution at critical points in the reproductive cycle when brain plasticity is known to occur.
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Dopamine binds to alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors in the Song Control System of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata).
Journal of chemical neuroanatomy, 2007Co-Authors: Charlotte Cornil, Christina B. Castelino, Gregory F BallAbstract:A commonly held view is that dopamine exerts its effects via binding to D1- and D2-dopaminergic receptors. However, recent data have emerged supporting the existence of a direct interaction of dopamine with adrenergic but this interaction has been poorly investigated. In this study, the pharmacological basis of possible in vivo interactions between dopamine and alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors was investigated in zebra finches. A binding competition study showed that dopamine displaces the binding of the alpha(2)-adrenergic ligand, [(3)H]RX821002, in the brain. The affinity of dopamine for the adrenergic sites does not differ between the sexes and is 10- to 28-fold lower than that for norepinephrine. To assess the anatomical distribution of this interaction, binding competitions were performed on brain slices incubated in 5nM [(3)H]RX821002 in the absence of any competitor or in the presence of norepinephrine [0.1microM] or dopamine [1microM]. Both norepinephrine and dopamine displaced the binding of the radioligand though to a different extent in most of the regions studied (e.g., area X, the lateral part of the magnocellular nucleus of anterior nidopallium, HVC, arcopallium dorsale, ventral tegmental area and substantia grisea centralis) but not in the robust nucleus of the arcopallium. Together these data provide evidence for a direct interaction between dopamine and adrenergic receptors in Songbird brains albeit with regional variation.
Scott A. Macdougall-shackleton - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Embryonic exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of a brominated flame retardant reduces the size of Song-Control nuclei in a Songbird.
Developmental neurobiology, 2018Co-Authors: Margaret L. Eng, Scott A. Macdougall-shackleton, Viktoria Winter, John E. Elliott, Tony D. WilliamsAbstract:Environmental contaminants have the potential to act as developmental stressors and impair development of Song and the brain of Songbirds, but they have been largely unstudied in this context. 2,2',4,4',5-Pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99) is a brominated flame retardant congener that has demonstrated endocrine disrupting effects, and has pervaded the global environment. We assessed the effects of in ovo exposure to environmentally relevant levels of BDE-99 on the neuroanatomy of the Song-Control System in a model Songbird species, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Embryos were exposed via egg injection to a vehicle Control (DMSO), 10, 100, or 1000 ng BDE-99/g egg on the day the egg was laid. Chicks were raised to sexual maturity to investigate long-term effects of BDE-99 on the adult male brain. Three key Song-Control nuclei (Area X, HVC, RA) all showed a dose-dependent trend toward decreasing volume as BDE-99 concentration increased, and birds exposed to 1000 ng/g in ovo BDE-99 had significantly smaller Song-Control nuclei volume compared to Control birds. High environmental concentrations of BDE-99 in avian tissues can be within that range and thus could affect development of the Song-Control System in birds, and potentially other processes. We previously found that BDE-99 exposure during the nestling period had no effect of on the Song-Control System, although it did have significant effects on some behaviural endpoints. Taken together, these results suggest that exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDEs) during critical developmental windows can significantly alter neurological development. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2018.
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Sex and seasonal differences in neurogenesis and volume of the Song-Control System are associated with Song in brood-parasitic and non-brood-parasitic icterid Songbirds.
Developmental neurobiology, 2016Co-Authors: Mélanie F. Guigueno, David F. Sherry, Scott A. Macdougall-shackletonAbstract:The Song-Control System in the brain of Songbirds is important for the production and acquisition of Song and exhibits both remarkable seasonal plasticity and some of the largest neural sex differences observed in vertebrates. We measured sex and seasonal differences in two nuclei of the Song-Control System of brood-parasitic brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) and closely-related non-parasitic red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). These species differ in both the development and function of Song. Brown-headed cowbirds have a larger sex difference in Song than red-winged blackbirds. Female cowbirds never sing, whereas female blackbirds do though much less than males. In cowbirds, Song primarily functions in mate choice and males modify their Song as they approach sexual maturity and interact with females. In red-winged blackbirds, Song is used primarily in territorial defence and is crystalized earlier in life. We found that the HVC was more likely to be discernable in breeding female blackbirds than in breeding female cowbirds. Compared to males, females had a smaller HVC and a smaller robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA). However, females had higher doublecortin immunoreactivity (DCX+) in HVC, a measure of neurogenesis. Consistent with sex differences in Song, the sex difference in RA volume was greater in cowbirds than in blackbirds. Males of both species had a smaller HVC with higher DCX+ in post-breeding condition than in breeding condition when Song is more plastic. Sex and seasonal differences in the Song-Control System were closely related to variation in Song in these two icterid Songbirds. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 76: 1226-1240, 2016.
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Sex steroid-independent effects of photostimulation on the Song-Control System of white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis).
General and comparative endocrinology, 2014Co-Authors: Brian D. Robertson, Michael R. Hasstedt, Caitlin L. Vandermeer, Scott A. Macdougall-shackletonAbstract:Brain nuclei within the Song-Control System of Songbirds are seasonally plastic during adulthood. These nuclei are larger in birds exposed to long, spring-like days than short, winter-like days. There is overwhelming evidence that this effect is mediated by testosterone (T). However, castration studies have also demonstrated that photostimulation has gonad-independent effects on Song-Control System plasticity, but these studies rarely Control for extra-gonadal sources of T. In this study, we used anti-androgen and anti-estrogen treatments in combination with castration to determine the sex steroid-independent effects of photostimulation on HVC size and doublecortin immunoreactivity in white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis). Birds were kept on short days or photostimulated for 1 month. Photostimulated birds were intact, castrated and treated with anti-androgens and anti-estrogens, or castrated and treated with T. HVC volumes of photostimulated birds were significantly larger than short-day birds. HVC volume of castrated birds given anti-androgens/-estrogens was significantly larger than short-day birds, indicating a sex steroid-independent effect of photostimulation. Similar results were observed for RA. The number of migrating neurons (immunoreactive for doublecortin) in HVC did not differ between treatment groups. Our data support the view that photostimulation alone can drive Song-Control System nuclei growth, and that concurrent exposure to T potentiates this growth. Moreover, these effects do not appear dependent on modulation of neuron migration.
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Effects of corticosterone and DHEA on doublecortin immunoreactivity in the Song Control System and hippocampus of adult Song sparrows
Developmental neurobiology, 2013Co-Authors: Haruka Wada, Kiran K. Soma, Zachary J. Hall, Amy E. M. Newman, Scott A. Macdougall-shackletonAbstract:Adult neuroplasticity is strongly influenced by steroids. In particular, corticosterone (CORT) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) can have opposing effects, where CORT reduces while DHEA increases neurogenesis and neuron recruitment. It has been previously shown that in adult male Song sparrows, DHEA treatment increases neuron recruitment throughout the telencephalon, including the lateral ventricular zone, while the effect of CORT treatment is restricted to HVC, one of the Song Control regions. These data suggest that the two steroids may differentially affect proliferation, migration, differentiation, and/or survival of new neurons. To determine if CORT or DHEA alters the migration and differentiation of young neurons, we examined an endogenous marker of migrating immature neurons, doublecortin (DCX), in HVC and hippocampus of adult male Song sparrows that were treated with CORT and/or DHEA for 28 days. In HVC, DHEA increased the number of DCX-labeled round cells, while CORT had no main effect on the number of DCX-labeled cells. Furthermore, DHEA increased the area covered by DCX immunoreactivity in HVC, regardless of CORT treatment. In the hippocampus, neither DHEA nor CORT affected DCX immunoreactivity. These results suggest that DHEA enhances migration and differentiation of young neurons into HVC while CORT does not affect the process, whether in the presence of DHEA or not.
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Influence of Testosterone Metabolites on Song-Control System Neuroplasticity during Photostimulation in Adult European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)
PloS one, 2012Co-Authors: Zachary J. Hall, Scott A. Macdougall-shackletonAbstract:The Song-Control System is a network of discrete nuclei in the Songbird brain that Controls the production and learning of birdSong and exhibits some of the best-studied neuroplasticity found in the adult brain. Photoperiodic growth of the Song-Control System during the breeding season is driven, at least in part, by the gonadal steroid testosterone. When acting on neural tissue, however, testosterone can be metabolized into 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or 17β-estradiol (E2), which activate different hormonal signaling pathways. By treating adult starlings with both testosterone metabolites and metabolite antagonists, we attempted to isolate the effects of androgen and estrogen treatment on neuroplasticity during photostimulation in male and female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Photostimulation resulted in a large HVC volume typical of the breeding season in all treatments independent of hormone treatment. E2 had additional effects on HVC growth by reducing neuron density and enhancing early survival of new neurons recruited to HVC in females but did not significantly affect HVC volume. Conversely, DHT reduced the migration of new neurons, assessed by the expression of doublecortin, to HVC. DHT also increased syrinx mass and maintained RA (robust nucleus of the arcopallium) cytoarchitecture in the presence of aromatase inhibitors. In addition, we document the first evidence of sex-specific neuroplastic responses of the Song-Control System to androgens and estrogens. These findings suggest that the contributions of DHT and E2 signaling in Songbird neuroplasticity may be regulated by photoperiod and that future studies should account for species and sex differences in the brain.
Lauren V Riters - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Evidence for opioid involvement in the motivation to sing.
Journal of chemical neuroanatomy, 2009Co-Authors: Lauren V RitersAbstract:Songbirds produce high rates of Song within multiple social contexts, suggesting that they are highly motivated to sing and that Song production itself may be rewarding. Progress has been made in understanding the neural basis of Song learning and sensorimotor processing, however little is known about neurobiological mechanisms regulating the motivation to sing. Neural Systems involved in motivation and reward have been conserved across species and in Songbirds are neuroanatomically well-positioned to influence the Song Control System. Opioid neuropeptides within these Systems play a primary role in hedonic reward, at least in mammals. In Songbirds, opioid neuropeptides and receptors are found throughout the Song Control System and within several brain regions implicated in both motivation and reward, including the medial preoptic nucleus (POM) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). Growing research shows these regions to play a role in birdSong that differs depending upon whether Song is sexually motivated in response to a female, used for territorial defense or sung as part of a flock but not directed towards an individual (undirected Song). Opioid pharmacological manipulations and immunocytochemical data demonstrate a role for opioid activity possibly within VTA and POM in the regulation of Song production. Although future research is needed, data suggest that opioids may be most critically involved in reinforcing Song that does not result in any obvious form of immediate externally mediated reinforcement, such as undirected Song produced in large flocks or during Song learning. Data are reviewed supporting the idea that dopamine activity underlies the motivation or drive to sing, but that opioid release is what makes Song production rewarding.
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lesions to the medial preoptic nucleus differentially affect singing and nest box directed behaviors within and outside of the breeding season in european starlings sturnus vulgaris
Behavioral Neuroscience, 2006Co-Authors: Sarah J Alger, Lauren V RitersAbstract:Little is known about how the brain regulates context-appropriate communication. European starlings produce Song in various social contexts. During the breeding season, males with nest sites sing high levels of sexually motivated Song in response to a female. Outside of this context, Song rates are not affected by female presence. The medial preoptic nucleus (POM) regulates male sexual behavior, and studies in Songbirds implicate the POM in sexually motivated Song. Recent data suggest that the role of the POM might extend to Song produced in other contexts as well. To examine this possibility, effects of bilateral electrolytic lesions of the POM on singing and other behaviors in adult male starlings within sexually relevant and nonsexual contexts were studied. Lesions to the POM exclusively reduced Song and nest box-directed behaviors within highly sexually relevant contexts. Unexpectedly, POM lesions increased Song in a nonsexual context, suggesting an inhibitory role for the POM in this context. These data suggest that the POM interacts with the Song Control System so that Song occurs in an appropriate social context in response to appropriate stimuli.
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ZENK labeling within social behavior brain regions reveals breeding context-dependent patterns of neural activity associated with Song in male European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).
Behavioural brain research, 2006Co-Authors: Sarah A. Heimovics, Lauren V RitersAbstract:In Songbirds, Song learning and production are regulated by the Song Control System. How the rest of the brain interacts with Song nuclei to ensure that Song is produced in an appropriate context is not yet clear. In male European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), breeding context Song is sexually motivated, whereas, non-breeding context Song is more broadly socially motivated. Brain regions involved in regulating social behavior might differentially regulate starling Song depending upon the context in which it is produced. Here, we compared the number of ZENK-labeled cells in Song and social behavior nuclei in starlings singing in either a breeding or a non-breeding context. Numbers of ZENK-labeled cells in HVC related positively to Song produced in both contexts. Interestingly, numbers of ZENK-labeled cells in one subdivision of the lateral septum (LS) related negatively to breeding context Song but positively to non-breeding context Song. In a subdivision of the medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTm) ZENK labeling only related positively to non-breeding context Song, whereas, in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) ZENK labeling showed a tighter positive relationship with breeding context Song. Together, these findings indicate that social behavior brain regions outside of the Song Control System regulate singing behavior differently depending upon whether Song is sexually or more broadly socially motivated. Breeding context-dependent regulation of Song by LS, BSTm, and VMH suggests that these nuclei may be central to adjusting Song production so that it occurs in response to appropriate social and environmental stimuli.
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Immediate early gene activity in Song Control nuclei and brain areas regulating motivation relates positively to singing behavior during, but not outside of, a breeding context
Journal of neurobiology, 2005Co-Authors: Sarah A. Heimovics, Lauren V RitersAbstract:In some species, such as Songbirds, much is known about how the brain regulates vocal learning, production, and perception. What remains a mystery is what regulates the motivation to communicate. European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) sing throughout most of the year, but the social and environmental factors that motivate singing behavior differ seasonally. Male Song is highly sexually motivated during, but not outside of, the breeding season. Brain areas outside the Song Control System, such as the medial preoptic nucleus (POM) and ventral tegmental area (VTA), have been implicated in regulating sexually motivated behaviors in birds, including Song. The present study was designed to explore whether these regions, as well as three Song Control nuclei [area X, the high vocal center (HVC), and the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA)], might be involved differentially in Song produced within compared to outside of a breeding context. We recorded the behavioral responses of breeding and nonbreeding condition male starlings to the introduction of a female conspecific. Males did not show context-dependent differences in the overall amount of Song sung. However, immunocytochemistry for the protein product of the immediate early gene cFOS revealed a positive linear relationship between the total amount of Songs sung and number of cFOS-labeled cells in POM, VTA, HVC, and RA for birds singing during, but not outside of, a breeding context. These results suggest that these regions differentially regulate male Song production depending on reproductive context. Overall the data support the hypothesis that the POM and VTA interact with the Song Control System, specifically HVC and RA, to regulate sexually motivated vocal communication in Songbirds.
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Vocal production in different social contexts relates to variation in immediate early gene immunoreactivity within and outside of the Song Control System
Behavioural brain research, 2004Co-Authors: Lauren V Riters, Donald P. Teague, Molly B. Schroeder, Sydney E. CummingsAbstract:In Songbirds, a major function of Song during the breeding season is mate attraction, and Song in this context can be highly sexually motivated. Vocal learning, perception, and production are regulated by the Song Control System, but there is no evidence that this System participates in the motivation to sing. Instead, brain regions involved in sexual motivation and arousal, including the medial preoptic nucleus (POM), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), nucleus taeniae (Tn), and area ventralis of Tsai (AVT) might regulate the motivation to sing, at least in a sexual context. The role of these nuclei and Song Control nuclei (area X and HVC) in vocal production within a breeding context, and other courtship behaviors, was investigated using immunocytochemistry for protein products of immediate early genes (IEGs), ZENK and c-fos (Fos), in flocks of male house sparrows (Passer domesticus) presented with females. Compared to vocalizations from other perches, vocal behavior from a nest box is more likely directed toward females, and sexually motivated. The numbers of ZENK and Fos labeled cells within rostral, but not caudal POM related positively only to vocalizations produced from a nest box. In contrast, the number of ZENK-labeled cells within area X related negatively to vocalizations from a nest box. Additionally, numbers of IEG-labeled cells within rPOM, Tn and AVT related positively to mount attempts. The results support the hypothesis that the POM interacts with the Song Control System to regulate sexually motivated vocal expression, and are consistent with work indicating that (a) rostral and caudal POM play distinct roles in sexual behavior, and (b) involvement of area X in Song is context specific.
Annemie Van Der Linden - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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In vivo assessment of the neural substrate linked with vocal imitation accuracy.
eLife, 2020Co-Authors: Julie Hamaide, Marleen Verhoye, Jasmien Orije, Kristina Lukacova, Georgios A. Keliris, Annemie Van Der LindenAbstract:Human speech and bird Song are acoustically complex communication signals that are learned by imitation during a sensitive period early in life. Although the brain areas indispensable for speech and Song learning are known, the neural circuits important for enhanced or reduced vocal performance remain unclear. By combining in vivo structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Song analyses in juvenile male zebra finches during Song learning and beyond, we reveal that Song imitation accuracy correlates with the structural architecture of four distinct brain areas, none of which pertain to the Song Control System. Furthermore, the structural properties of a secondary auditory area in the left hemisphere, are capable to predict future Song copying accuracy, already at the earliest stages of learning, before initiating vocal practicing. These findings appoint novel brain regions important for Song learning outcome and inform that ultimate performance in part depends on factors experienced before vocal practicing.
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Timing of perineuronal net development in the zebra finch Song Control System correlates with developmental Song learning.
Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2018Co-Authors: Gilles Cornez, Elisabeth Jonckers, Sita M. Ter Haar, Annemie Van Der Linden, Charlotte Cornil, Jacques BalthazartAbstract:The appearance of perineuronal nets (PNNs) represents one of the mechanisms that contribute to the closing of sensitive periods for neural plasticity. This relationship has mostly been studied in the ocular dominance model in rodents. Previous studies also indicated that PNN might Control neural plasticity in the Song Control System of Songbirds. To further elucidate this relationship, we quantified PNN expression and their localization around parvalbumin interneurons at key time-points during ontogeny in both male and female zebra finches, and correlated these data with the well-described development of Song in this species. We also extended these analyses to the auditory System. The development of PNN during ontogeny correlated with Song crystallization although the timing of PNN appearance in the four main telencephalic Song Control nuclei slightly varied between nuclei in agreement with the established role these nuclei play during Song learning. Our data also indicate that very few PNN develop in the secondary auditory forebrain areas even in adult birds, which may allow constant adaptation to a changing acoustic environment by allowing synaptic reorganization during adulthood.
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A three-dimensional digital atlas of the starling brain
Brain Structure and Function, 2016Co-Authors: Geert De Groof, Elisabeth Jonckers, Isabelle George, Sara Touj, Martin Stacho, Hugo Cousillas, Martine Hausberger, Onur Güntürkün, Annemie Van Der LindenAbstract:Because of their sophisticated vocal behaviour, their social nature, their high plasticity and their robustness, starlings have become an important model species that is widely used in studies of neuroethology of Song production and perception. Since magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represents an increasingly relevant tool for comparative neuroscience, a 3D MRI-based atlas of the starling brain becomes essential. Using multiple imaging protocols we delineated several sensory Systems as well as the Song Control System. This starling brain atlas can easily be used to determine the stereotactic location of identified neural structures at any angle of the head. Additionally, the atlas is useful to find the optimal angle of sectioning for slice experiments, stereotactic injections and electrophysiological recordings. The starling brain atlas is freely available for the scientific community.
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A three-dimensional digital atlas of the starling brain
Brain Structure and Function, 2016Co-Authors: Geert De Groof, Elisabeth Jonckers, Isabelle George, Sara Touj, Martin Stacho, Hugo Cousillas, Martine Hausberger, Onur Güntürkün, Annemie Van Der LindenAbstract:Because of their sophisticated vocal behaviour, their social nature, their high plasticity and their robustness, starlings have become an important model species that is widely used in studies of neuroethology of Song production and perception. Since Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) represents an increasingly relevant tool for comparative neuroscience, a 3-dimensional MRI-based atlas of the starling brain becomes essential. Using multiple imaging protocols we delineated several sensory Systems as well as the Song Control System. This starling brain atlas can easily be used to determine the stereotactic location of identified neural structures at any angle of the head. Additionally, the atlas is useful to find the optimal angle of sectioning for slice experiments, stereotactic injections and electrophysiological recordings. The starling brain atlas is freely available for the scientific community.
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Love Songs, bird brains and diffusion tensor imaging.
NMR in biomedicine, 2010Co-Authors: Geert De Groof, Annemie Van Der LindenAbstract:The Song Control System of Songbirds displays a remarkable seasonal neuroplasticity in species in which Song output also changes seasonally. Thus far, this Song Control System has been extensively analyzed by histological and electrophysiological methods. However, these approaches do not provide a global view of the brain and/or do not allow repeated measurements, which are necessary to establish causal correlations between alterations in neural substrate and behavior. Research has primarily been focused on the Song nuclei themselves, largely neglecting their interconnections and other brain regions involved in seasonally changing behavior. In this review, we introduce and explore the Song Control System of Songbirds as a natural model for brain plasticity. At the same time, we point out the added value of the Songbird brain model for in vivo diffusion tensor techniques and its derivatives. A compilation of the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data obtained thus far in this System demonstrates the usefulness of this in vivo method for studying brain plasticity. In particular, it is shown to be a perfect tool for long-term studies of morphological and cellular changes of specific brain circuits in different endocrine/photoperiod conditions. The method has been successfully applied to obtain quantitative measurements of seasonal changes of fiber tracts and nuclei from the Song Control System. In addition, outside the Song Control System, changes have been discerned in the optic chiasm and in an interhemispheric connection. DTI allows the detection of seasonal changes in a region analogous to the mammalian secondary auditory cortex and in regions of the ‘social behavior network’, an interconnected group of structures that Controls multiple social behaviors, including aggression and courtship. DTI allows the demonstration, for the first time, that the Songbird brain in its entirety exhibits an extreme seasonal plasticity which is not merely limited to the Song Control System as was generally believed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.