Photoperiodic Regulation of the Male House Sparrow Song Control System: Gonadal Dependent and Independent Mechanisms

Whitfield-Rucker, Melissa G.; Cassone, Vincent M.

doi:10.1006/gcen.2000.7455

Cited by 24 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…In parallel to primary reproductive processes, both the probability of a male bird to sing in response to a given stimulus as well as the size and complexity of the song control nuclei within its brain vary depending upon the time of year [40, 98,154]. The song control system of oscine passeriform birds is a specialized network of brain nuclei involved in singing and song learning.…”

Section: Avian Song Production and Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In both American tree sparrows and house sparrows, HVC and RA increase in size in response to a change in photoperiod from a short day to long day [18, 66, 154]. Castrated birds in these studies also exhibit photostimulated song control nuclei, although the level of induction is not as great as in the sham-operated birds.…”

Section: Avian Song Production and Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Avian circadian organization: A chorus of clocks

Cassone

2014

Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology

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129

111

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In birds, biological clock function pervades all aspects of biology, controlling daily changes in sleep: wake, visual function, song, migratory patterns and orientation, as well as seasonal patterns of reproduction, song and migration. The molecular bases for circadian clocks are highly conserved, and it is likely the avian molecular mechanisms are similar to those expressed in mammals, including humans. The central pacemakers in the avian pineal gland, retinae and SCN dynamically interact to maintain stable phase relationships and then influence downstream rhythms through entrainment of peripheral oscillators in the brain controlling behavior and peripheral tissues. Birds represent an excellent model for the role played by biological clocks in human neurobiology; unlike most rodent models, they are diurnal, they exhibit cognitively complex social interactions, and their circadian clocks are more sensitive to the hormone melatonin than are those of nocturnal rodents.

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Section: Avian Song Production and Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Avian Song Production and Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian circadian organization: A chorus of clocks

Cassone

2014

Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology

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129

111

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“…Sometimes such rhythmic changes in behavior and neural systems can be directly controlled by melatonin binding to regionally abundant receptors (Whitfield-Rucker and Cassone, 2000;Gahr and Kosar, 1996;Musshoff et al, 2002;Rosenstein and Cardinali, 1990;Wan et al, 1999). For example, melatonin applied to brain slices of the avian vocal circuit decreases firing rate in a telencephalic vocal nucleus where the inhibitory G protein-coupled melatonin 1b receptor is expressed (Jansen et al, 2005).…”

Section: Steroid-and Melatonin-dependent Rhythmicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive and diurnal rhythms regulate vocal motor plasticity in a teleost fish

Rubow

Bass

2009

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYSeasonal and circadian rhythms control fundamental physiological processes including neural excitability and synaptic plasticity that can lead to the periodic modulation of motor behaviors like social vocalizations. Parental male midshipman fish produce three call types during the breeding season: long duration (min to >1 h) advertisement 'hums', frequency and amplitude modulated agonistic 'growls' (s), and very brief (ms) agonistic 'grunts' produced either singly or repetitively as 'grunt trains' for up to several minutes. Fictive grunts that establish the temporal properties of natural grunts are readily evoked and recorded in vivo from vocal occipital nerve roots at any time of day or year by electrical microstimulation in either the midbrain periaqueductal gray or a hindbrain vocal pre-pacemaker nucleus. Now, as shown here, the longer duration fictive growls and hums can also be elicited, but are restricted to the nocturnal reproductive season. A significant drop in call threshold accompanies the fictive growls and hums that are distinguished by their much longer duration and lower and more regular firing frequency. Lastly, the long duration fictive calls are dependent upon increased stimulation time and intensity and hence may result from activitydependent changes in the vocal motor circuit that are themselves modulated by seasonal and circadian rhythms.

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“…Generally, these regions become larger when birds are photostimulated and are breeding, and are smaller when birds are photorefractory; the vernal increase in size can occur very rapidly . This rapid neural plasticity is clearly modulated in part by gonadal sex steroid hormones, but gonad-independent effects of photoperiod and behaviour may also play a role (Bernard et al 1997;Whitfield-Rucker and Cassone 2000;Ball et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A test of absolute photorefractoriness and photo-induced neural plasticity of song-control regions in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus)

et al. 2005

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We tested whether male and female black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus (L., 1766), were absolutely photorefractory according to Hamner's (1968) criteria of (i) spontaneous regression of gonads during prolonged longday exposure and (ii) no subsequent recrudescence of gonads in response to constant light. We initially exposed blackcapped chickadees to constant long-day photoperiods. Gonads regressed spontaneously, demonstrating that the birds met Hamner's first criterion for absolute photorefractoriness. Once their gonads fully regressed and the birds were in advanced prebasic moult, we exposed them to one of three photoperiods for an additional 2 weeks: constant light (24 h L), short days (8 h L), and controls (15 h L). Constant light challenge had no effect on gonadal condition or rate of moult, confirming that the birds met Hamner's second criterion for absolute refractoriness. We also compared volumes of songcontrol nuclei in the three groups and found that males overall had larger HVC, robust nucleus of arcopallium, and area X than females, but that longer days (24 h L) did not increase volumes and that shorter days (8 h L) did not decrease volumes compared with controls (15 h L). These data support the inference that black-capped chickadees do indeed become absolutely photorefractory, and that photorefractoriness precludes photo-induced plasticity of the songcontrol system. Résumé :Nous avons vérifié si les mâles et les femelles de la mésange à tête noire, Poecile atricapillus (L., 1766), sont photoréfractaires de manière absolue selon les critères de Hamner (1968), qui sont (i) une régression spontanée des gonades après une exposition prolongée à des photopériodes longues et (ii) l'absence de recrudescence subséquente des gonades en réaction à une exposition à la lumière continue. Nous avons au départ exposé les mésanges à tête noire à des photopériodes élevées et constantes. Les gonades ont régressé spontanément indiquant que les oiseaux satisfont au premier critère d'un état photoréfractaire absolu de Hamner. Une fois les gonades complètement en régression et les oiseaux dans un état de mue post-nuptiale avancée, nous avons exposé les oiseaux pendant deux semaines supplémen-taires à l'un des trois régimes photopériodiques suivants, une lumière continue (24 h L), des jours courts (8 h L) et des conditions témoins (15 h L). Le régime de lumière continue est sans effet sur la condition des gonades et le taux de mue, ce qui confirme que les oiseaux satisfont au second critère d'un état photoréfractaire absolu de Hamner. Nous avons aussi comparé les volumes des noyaux de contrôle du chant chez les trois groupes : les mâles ont, dans l'ensemble, des noyaux HVC et noyau robuste de l'archistriatum ainsi qu'une zone X de plus grande taille que les femelles. Les photopériodes plus longues (24 h L) ne font pas augmenter ces volumes et les photopériodes plus courtes (8 h L) ne les font pas diminuer, par comparaison aux témoins (15 h L). Ces données appuient la conclusion que les mésanges à tête noire devienne...

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Photoperiodic Regulation of the Male House Sparrow Song Control System: Gonadal Dependent and Independent Mechanisms

Cited by 24 publications

References 40 publications

Avian circadian organization: A chorus of clocks

Avian circadian organization: A chorus of clocks

Reproductive and diurnal rhythms regulate vocal motor plasticity in a teleost fish

A test of absolute photorefractoriness and photo-induced neural plasticity of song-control regions in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus)

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