Hormonal specificity and activation of social behavior in male red-winged blackbirds

Harding, Cheryl F.; Walters, Michael J.; Collado, Damary; Sheridan, Kevin

doi:10.1016/0018-506x(88)90011-6

Cited by 85 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In the spring, singing behavior did not vary significantly among groups, but FAD tended to decrease singing (Soma et al, 2000a). Other studies have also found that estrogen stimulates singing in male songbirds (Harding et al, 1988;Walters et al, 1991).…”

Section: Effects Of Estrogen On the Song Nucleus Hvcmentioning

confidence: 84%

Estrogen contributes to seasonal plasticity of the adult avian song control system

et al. 2004

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Songbirds show dramatic neural plasticity as adults, including large-scale anatomical changes in discrete brain regions ("song control nuclei") controlling the production of singing behavior. The volumes of several song control nuclei are much larger in the breeding season than in the nonbreeding season, and these seasonal neural changes are regulated by plasma testosterone (T) levels. In many cases, the effects of T on the central nervous system are mediated by neural conversion to estradiol (E(2)) by the enzyme aromatase. The forebrain of male songbirds expresses very high levels of aromatase, in some cases adjacent to song control nuclei. We examined the effects of aromatase inhibition and estrogen treatment on song nuclei size using wild male songbirds in both the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. In breeding males, aromatase inhibition caused the volume of a telencephalic song control nucleus (HVC) to decrease, and this effect was partially rescued by concurrent estrogen replacement. In nonbreeding males, estradiol treatment caused HVC to grow to maximal spring size within 2 weeks. Overall, these data suggest that aromatization of T is an important mediator of song control system plasticity, and that estradiol has neurotrophic effects in adult male songbirds. This study demonstrates that estrogen can affect adult neural plasticity on a gross anatomical scale and is the first examination of estrogen effects on the brain of a wild animal.

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Section: Effects Of Estrogen On the Song Nucleus Hvcmentioning

confidence: 84%

Estrogen contributes to seasonal plasticity of the adult avian song control system

et al. 2004

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“…The exact nature of the relationship between testosterone (T) and reproductive aggression, and the precise action of T on the expression of aggressive behavior, are not yet fully understood, and are areas of current research (Dittami and Reyer, 1984; Wingfield et a1., 1987;Harding et al, 1988;Wingfield, 1994). What is known, however, is that circulating levels of T in free-ranging breeding birds are relatively high only during periods when male-male aggressive interactions are frequent and/or sustained, especially times of territory establishment and mate-guarding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Testosterone and Polygyny in Birds

Beletsky

Gori

Freeman

et al. 1995

Current Ornithology

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“…Changes in 5␤-reductase do not explain the effects of plasma T on aggressive behavior. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 41: 176 -188, 1999 Keywords: aggression; aromatase; estrogen; preoptic area; testosterone; bird In songbirds, both androgens and estrogens act on neural circuits located in the hypothalamus and telencephalon to control behaviors associated with reproduction and aggression (Harding, 1983(Harding, , 1988 Schlinger, 1997a,b). The active sex steroids are made available to the avian brain by a combination of steroid secretion by the gonads (Wingfield and Farner, 1993) and the metabolism of circulating steroids into active and inactive metabolites locally in the brain.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Androgen-metabolizing enzymes show region-specific changes across the breeding season in the brain of a wild songbird

et al. 1999

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Hormonal specificity and activation of social behavior in male red-winged blackbirds

Cited by 85 publications

References 28 publications

Estrogen contributes to seasonal plasticity of the adult avian song control system

Estrogen contributes to seasonal plasticity of the adult avian song control system

Testosterone and Polygyny in Birds

Androgen-metabolizing enzymes show region-specific changes across the breeding season in the brain of a wild songbird

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