Baby babbling at five months linked to sex hormone levels in early infancy

Quast, Anja; Hesse, V.; Hain, Johannes; Wermke, Peter; Wermke, Kathleen

doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2016.04.002

Cited by 38 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…As microdialysis treatment was restricted to NCM and could not reach HVC, nor Nif, any change in HVC response properties would be due to the indirect influence of modulatory events in NCM that propagate into HVC. Baseline firing rates were similar across treatments, recording hemisphere, and no interaction between the two factors were found (F (1,47) , p > 0.132; Fig. 7B).…”

Section: Hvcmentioning

confidence: 88%

Neuroestrogen synthesis modifies neural representations of learned song without altering vocal imitation in developing songbirds

Vahaba

Hecsh

Remage‐Healey

2020

Sci Rep

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Birdsong learning, like human speech, depends on the early memorization of auditory models, yet how initial auditory experiences are formed and consolidated is unclear. In songbirds, a putative cortical locus is the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), and one mechanism to facilitate auditory consolidation is 17β-estradiol (E2), which is associated with human speech-language development, and is abundant in both NCM and human temporal cortex. Circulating and NCM E2 levels are dynamic during learning, suggesting E2's involvement in encoding recent auditory experiences. Therefore, we tested this hypothesis in juvenile male songbirds using a comprehensive assessment of neuroanatomy, behavior, and neurophysiology. First, we found that brain aromatase expression, and thus the capacity to synthesize neuroestrogens, remains high in the auditory cortex throughout development. Further, while systemic estrogen synthesis blockade suppressed juvenile song production, neither systemic nor unilateral E2 synthesis inhibition in NCM disrupted eventual song imitation. Surprisingly, early life neuroestrogen synthesis blockade in NCM enhanced the neural representations of both the birds' own song and the tutor song in NCM and a downstream sensorimotor region, HVC, respectively. Taken together, these findings indicate that E2 plays a multifaceted role during development, and that, contrary to prediction, tutor song memorization is unimpaired by unilateral estrogen synthesis blockade in the auditory cortex. While many animals use sounds to communicate with one another (vocal communication), the ability to learn to vocally communicate is relatively rare 1. In vocal learning animals, such as humans and songbirds, vocal learning occurs across two main phases: an auditory memorization ('sensory') phase, followed by a sensorimotor phase ('babbling' , error correction/feedback) 2,3. While much is known about sensorimotor learning, the mechanisms that guide the formation and consolidation of auditory memories early in life are less clear. One brain region likely involved in storing auditory memories in songbirds is the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) 4. NCM, comparable to mammalian secondary auditory cortex, is required for accurate song learning. Blocking ERK-signaling or mTOR bilaterally in NCM during tutoring leads to poor song imitation 5,6. Tutoring naïve juvenile songbirds leads to an increased proportion of tutor-song-selective neurons in NCM 7. Further, bilateral NCM lesions abolish innate preference for tutor song in adults 8 , but see 9,10. Thus, NCM contains a putative tutor 'engram'; however, the neuromodulatory mechanisms that shape this auditory memory formation and consolidation remain unknown. Consolidating recent experience in other contexts and systems require presynaptic signaling molecules ('neuromodulators'), such as brain-derived estrogens 11. The predominant estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2) is a candidate neuromodulator required for auditory memory consolidation, as is evident in a similar role in adult hippocampal-dependent cognit...

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Section: Hvcmentioning

confidence: 88%

Neuroestrogen synthesis modifies neural representations of learned song without altering vocal imitation in developing songbirds

Vahaba

Hecsh

Remage‐Healey

2020

Sci Rep

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“…Finally, recent work suggests there may be a link between the actions of steroid hormones and regulation of speech production and vocal plasticity in humans4849. Work in songbirds has been critical in providing possible causal mechanisms for steroid hormones in the regulation of vocal plasticity141546505152.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aromatase inhibition rapidly affects in a reversible manner distinct features of birdsong

Alward

Bournonville

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Recent evidence has implicated steroid hormones, specifically estrogens, in the rapid modulation of cognitive processes. Songbirds have been a useful model system in the study of complex cognitive processes including birdsong, a naturally learned vocal behavior regulated by a discrete steroid-sensitive telencephalic circuitry. Singing behavior is known to be regulated by long-term actions of estrogens but rapid steroid modulation of this behavior has never been examined. We investigated if acute actions of estrogens regulate birdsong in canaries (Serinus canaria). In the morning, male canaries sing within minutes after light onset. Birds were injected with fadrozole, a potent aromatase inhibitor, or vehicle within 2–5 minutes after lights on to implement a within-subjects experimental design. This single injection of fadrozole reduced the motivation to sing as well as song acoustic stereotypy, a measure of consistency over song renditions, on the same day. By the next day, however, all song measures that were affected had returned to baseline. This study indicates that estrogens also act in a rapid fashion to regulate two distinct features of song, a learned vocal behavior.

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“…For this study, we used a comparative longitudinal research design through 6 months to answer the research questions because the postnatal period (birth to 6 months) is one of three testosterone surge periods. (The other two are the second trimester and puberty; Quast et al, 2016). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, elevated postnatal testosterone levels are expected to be negatively associated with infant development. Since the postnatal period until 6 months after birth is known to be “mini puberty” because of the testosterone surge (Forest, Cathiard & Bertrand, 1973) —which occurs immediately after birth and decreases by six months—examining the associations between these biomarkers and infant developmental status at 3 and 6 months in term and preterm infants would be meaningful (Quast, Hesse, Hain, Wermke, & Wermke, 2016). …”

Section: Testosterone and Infant Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations Between Hormonal Biomarkers and Cognitive, Motor, and Language Developmental Status in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Cho¹,

Holditch‐Davis²,

Su³

et al. 2017

Nursing Research

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Background Male infants are more prone to health problems and developmental delays than female infants. Objectives Based on theories of gender differences in brain development and social relationships, we explored associations between testosterone and cortisol levels with infant cognitive, motor, and language development (“infant development”) in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants, controlling for mother–infant interactions, characteristics of mothers and infants, and days of saliva collection after birth. Methods A total of 62 mother–VLBW infant pairs were recruited from the newborn intensive care unit of a tertiary medical center in the Southeast U.S. Data were collected through infant medical record review, biochemical measurement, observation of mother–infant interactions, and standard questionnaires. Infant development was assessed at 6 months corrected age (CA) and mother–infant interactions were observed at 3 and 6 months CA. Results General linear regression with separate analyses for each infant gender showed that high testosterone levels were positively associated with language development of male infants after controlling for mother–infant interactions and other covariates, whereas high cortisol levels were negatively associated with motor development of female infants after controlling for mother–infant interactions. Conclusions Steroid hormonal levels may well be more fundamental factors for assessing infant development than infant gender or mother–infant interactions at 6 months CA.

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Baby babbling at five months linked to sex hormone levels in early infancy

Cited by 38 publications

References 83 publications

Neuroestrogen synthesis modifies neural representations of learned song without altering vocal imitation in developing songbirds

Neuroestrogen synthesis modifies neural representations of learned song without altering vocal imitation in developing songbirds

Aromatase inhibition rapidly affects in a reversible manner distinct features of birdsong

Associations Between Hormonal Biomarkers and Cognitive, Motor, and Language Developmental Status in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

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