Age- and Sex-Related Variation in Song-Control Regions in Cassin’s Finches, &lt;i&gt;Carpodacus cassinii&lt;/i&gt;

MacDougall‐Shackleton, Scott A.; Ball, Gregory F.; Edmonds, Eric; Sul, Raeme; Hahn, Thomas P.

doi:10.1159/000084644

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Similar age-related differences as those found in juncos were observed in another songbird, the Cassin's Finch (Carpodacus cassinii) [MacDougall-Shackleton et al, 2005], which also exhibits SY vs. ASY plumage differences, crystallizes song shortly before the first breeding season, and is thought to be capable of changing song repertoire yearly [Samson, 1978]. In Cassin's Finches, as in juncos, the volumes of HVC and RA did not differ in SY and ASY males, but Area X was smaller in the older birds (MAN was not measured).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 77%

Age-Related Difference in Size of Brain Regions for Song Learning in Adult Male Dark-Eyed Juncos <i>(Junco hyemalis)</i>

Corbitt

Deviche²

2005

Brain Behav Evol

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In seasonally breeding adult male songbirds, the volumes of several song control regions (SCRs) change seasonally in parallel with plasma testosterone (T) levels and decrease following gonadectomy. Testosterone treatment to castrates prevents this decrease, indicating T dependency. During the breeding season, second-year (SY: birds entering their first breeding season) free-ranging male Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) have smaller testes than older (after second-year, ASY: birds entering at least their second breeding season) birds. SY males also have lower plasma T concentrations than ASY males at the beginning of the breeding season. We investigated differences in song structure of the two age groups and the relationship between age differences in gonadal function and SCR sizes. The average number of syllables per song, syllable duration, trill rate, song duration, and variability in song duration were age-independent. Two brain regions that are thought to be involved primarily in song learning and perception were 13 and 18% larger, respectively, in SY than in ASY males, the opposite of what would be expected based solely on reproductive measures (testis mass and cloacal protuberance width). In contrast, the volumes of two regions that directly control song expression did not differ with age. The lack of age-related size differences in regions that are required for song production may indicate that male juncos of all ages have similar brain space requirements for motor production. Where there were size differences, they were restricted to regions primarily controlling vocal behavior acquisition/perception, suggesting that first time breeders need more brain space than experienced breeders to acquire crystallized song and/or acoustically perceive aspects of their environment.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 77%

Age-Related Difference in Size of Brain Regions for Song Learning in Adult Male Dark-Eyed Juncos <i>(Junco hyemalis)</i>

Corbitt

Deviche²

2005

Brain Behav Evol

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“…Collectively, these results suggest that there is a relationship between the complexity of a learned task and the amount of brain space devoted to that task. Somewhat surprisingly, there is a negative relationship between song complexity and Area X volume in the zebra finch (Airey and DeVoogd, 2000) and Cassin’s finch (Macdougall-Shackleton et al, 2005; also see Hamilton et al, 1998). While the significance of this finding us unclear, it underscores the value of examining multiple regions with potentially different functions within the vocal control system.…”

Section: Neuronal Attributes That Co-vary With Song Attributesmentioning

confidence: 98%

The relationship of neurogenesis and growth of brain regions to song learning

Kirn

2010

Brain and Language

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Song learning, maintenance and production require coordinated activity across multiple auditory, sensory-motor, and neuromuscular structures. Telencephalic components of the sensory-motor circuitry are unique to avian species that engage in song learning. The song system shows protracted development that begins prior to hatching but continues well into adulthood. The staggered developmental timetable for construction of the song system provides clues of subsystems involved in specific stages of song learning and maintenance. Progressive events, including neurogenesis and song system growth, as well as regressive events such as apoptosis and synapse elimination, occur during periods of song learning and the transitions between stereotyped and variable song during both development and adulthood. There is clear evidence that gonadal steroids influence the development of song attributes and shape the underlying neural circuitry. Some aspects of song system development are influenced by sensory, motor and social experience, while other aspects of neural development appear to be experience-independent. Although there are species differences in the extent to which song learning continues into adulthood, growing evidence suggests that despite differences in learning trajectories, adult refinement of song motor control and song maintenance can require remarkable behavioral and neural flexibility reminiscent of sensory-motor learning.

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“…Traditional Nissl staining methods can define the borders of lMAN core, (Johnson and Bottjer, 1992). However, previous studies attempting to delineate volumetric variation in seasonally breeding birds have produced inconsistent results due to an inability to crisply delineate nucleus boundaries (Airey and DeVoogd, 2000; MacDougall-Shackleton et al, 1998; MacDougall-Shackleton et al, 2005). However, chemical neuroanatomical studies have revealed a variety of neuromodulatory proteins that do clearly delineate the boundaries of lMAN core and in some cases mMAN (Ball et al, 1988; Ball and Balthazart, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photoperiodic differences in a forebrain nucleus involved in vocal plasticity: Enkephalin immunoreactivity reveals volumetric variation in song nucleus lMAN but not NIf in male European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)

Stevenson

Ball

2010

Developmental Neurobiology

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Seasonal variation in the volume of various song control nuclei in many passerine species remains one of the best examples of naturally occurring adult neuroplasticity among vertebrates. The lateral portion of the magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium (lMAN) is a song nucleus that is important for song learning and seems to be critical for inducing variability in the song structure that is later pruned via a feedback process to produce adult crystallized song. To date, lMAN has not been shown to exhibit seasonal changes in volume, probably because it is difficult to resolve the boundaries of lMAN when employing histological methods based on Nissl staining. Here, lMANcore volumes were examined in intact photostimulated (i.e. breeding), castrated photostimulated and photorefractory (i.e. non-breeding) male starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) to investigate the degree of seasonal variation in brain morphology. We present data demonstrating that the volumes of the total MAN and lMANcore delineated by enkephalin immunoreactivity are greater in photostimulated male starlings as compared to photorefractory males. Moreover, two other regions associated with the song system that have not been investigated previously in the context of seasonal plasticity namely i) the medial portion of MAN (mMAN), and ii) the nucleus interfacialis (NIf) did not display significant volumetric variation. We propose that greater lMANcore volumes are associated with the increase in vocal plasticity which is generally observed prior to production of stereotyped song.

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Age- and Sex-Related Variation in Song-Control Regions in Cassin’s Finches, <i>Carpodacus cassinii</i>

Cited by 12 publications

References 51 publications

Age-Related Difference in Size of Brain Regions for Song Learning in Adult Male Dark-Eyed Juncos <i>(Junco hyemalis)</i>

Age-Related Difference in Size of Brain Regions for Song Learning in Adult Male Dark-Eyed Juncos <i>(Junco hyemalis)</i>

The relationship of neurogenesis and growth of brain regions to song learning

Photoperiodic differences in a forebrain nucleus involved in vocal plasticity: Enkephalin immunoreactivity reveals volumetric variation in song nucleus lMAN but not NIf in male European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)

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