Steroidal and gonadal effects on neural cell proliferation in vitro in an adult songbird

Mirzatoni, Anahid; Dong, Stephanie; Guerra, Marjorie; Yin, Zhiwei; Katz, Amnon; Schlinger, Barney A.

doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2010.07.027

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…There is to date no clear confirmation that this is the case in songbirds, whereas studies in mammals indicate that steroids affect proliferation of neural progenitor cells in the adult brain (recent reviews: Galea et al, 2006; Charalampopoulos et al, 2008) and do so in a sex-specific manner (Barker and Galea, 2008). There is evidence that progenitor cells in zebra finches respond differently to dehydroepiandrosterone in vitro , depending on whether they originated from a male or a female brain (Mirzatoni et al, 2010). These uncertainties led us to study in a quantitative manner the effects of testosterone on cell proliferation in the VZ of adult male and female canaries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anatomically discrete sex differences and enhancement by testosterone of cell proliferation in the telencephalic ventricle zone of the adult canary brain

Barker

Ball

Balthazart

2014

Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy

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Previous work in songbirds has suggested that testosterone increases neuronal recruitment and survival in HVC but does not affect neuronal proliferation in the ventricular zone and that males and females have similar rates of proliferation except at discrete locations. Many of these conclusions are however based on limited data or were inferred indirectly. Here we specifically tested the effects of testosterone on cellular proliferation in the ventricular zone of both male and female adult canaries. We implanted adult birds of both sexes with testosterone or empty implants for one week and injected them with BrdU. One day later, we collected their brains and quantified BrdU-positive cells in the ventricular zone (VZ) at different rostro-caudal levels of the brain, ranging from the level where the song nucleus Area X occurs through the caudal extent of HVC. Proliferation in the dorsal part of the VZ was low and unaffected by sex or testosterone treatment. In the ventral part of the VZ, females had more proliferating cells than males, but only at rostral levels, near Area X. Also in the ventral part of the VZ, testosterone increased proliferation in birds of both sexes, but only in the mid- to caudal-VZ, caudal to the level of Area X, around the septum and HVC. We thus demonstrate here that there is both an effect of testosterone and possibly a more subtle effect of sex on cellular proliferation in the adult songbird brain, and that these effects are specific to different levels of the brain.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anatomically discrete sex differences and enhancement by testosterone of cell proliferation in the telencephalic ventricle zone of the adult canary brain

Barker

Ball

Balthazart

2014

Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy

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“…In addition, our present study, which focused on males, enabled us to add a comparative dimension, specifically in regard to looking for possible sex-differences in the response of the brain to ALAN. Testing this question is important because at least some aspects of neuronal plasticity, such as CP, might differ between sexes, e.g., [22,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence That Artificial Light at Night Induces Structure-Specific Changes in Brain Plasticity in a Diurnal Bird

et al. 2021

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We recently reported that artificial light at night (ALAN), at ecologically relevant intensities (1.5, 5 lux), increases cell proliferation in the ventricular zone and recruitment of new neurons in several forebrain regions of female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), along with a decrease of total neuronal densities in some of these regions (indicating possible neuronal death). In the present study, we exposed male zebra finches to the same ALAN intensities, treated them with 5′-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine, quantified cell proliferation and neuronal recruitment in several forebrain regions, and compared them to controls that were kept under dark nights. ALAN increased cell proliferation in the ventricular zone, similar to our previous findings in females. We also found, for the first time, that ALAN increased new neuronal recruitment in HVC and Area X, which are part of the song system in the brain and are male-specific. In other brain regions, such as the medial striatum, nidopallium caudale, and hippocampus, we recorded an increased neuronal recruitment only in the medial striatum (unlike our previous findings in females), and relative to the controls this increase was less prominent than in females. Moreover, the effect of ALAN duration on total neuronal densities in the studied regions varied between the sexes, supporting the suggestion that males are more resilient to ALAN than females. Suppression of nocturnal melatonin levels after ALAN exhibited a light intensity-dependent decrease in males in contrast to females, another indication that males might be less affected by ALAN. Taken together, our study emphasizes the importance of studying both sexes when considering ALAN effects on brain plasticity.

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“…To avoid effects of singing behavior, we used females, and kept the social, behavioral, and spatial environment constant. Another advantage of females in this respect is that gonadal steroid hormones and corticosterone have no effect on cell proliferation in the VZ 23 , 24 . We compared neuronal recruitment rates under two natural outdoor seasons and under artificial settings in the laboratory that imitated the natural conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Questioning Seasonality of Neuronal Plasticity in the Adult Avian Brain

Pozner

Vistoropsky

Moaraf

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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To date, studies that reported seasonal patterns of adult neurogenesis and neuronal recruitment have correlated them to seasonal behaviors as the cause or as a consequence of neuronal changes. The aim of our study was to test this correlation, and to investigate whether there is a seasonal pattern of new neuronal recruitment that is not correlated to behavior. To do this, we used adult female zebra finches (songbirds that are not seasonal breeders), kept them under constant social, behavioral, and spatial environments, and compared neuronal recruitment in their brains during two seasons, under natural and laboratory conditions. Under natural conditions, no significant differences were found in the pattern of new neuronal recruitment across seasons. However, under artificial indoor conditions that imitated the natural conditions, higher neuronal recruitment occurred in late summer (August) compared to early spring (February). Moreover, our data indicate that “mixing” temperature and day length significantly reduces new neuronal recruitment, demonstrating the importance of the natural combination of temperature and day length. Taken together, our findings show, for the first time, that neuroplasticity changes under natural vs. artificial conditions, and demonstrate the importance of both laboratory and field experiments when looking at complex biological systems.

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Steroidal and gonadal effects on neural cell proliferation in vitro in an adult songbird

Cited by 6 publications

References 65 publications

Anatomically discrete sex differences and enhancement by testosterone of cell proliferation in the telencephalic ventricle zone of the adult canary brain

Anatomically discrete sex differences and enhancement by testosterone of cell proliferation in the telencephalic ventricle zone of the adult canary brain

Evidence That Artificial Light at Night Induces Structure-Specific Changes in Brain Plasticity in a Diurnal Bird

Questioning Seasonality of Neuronal Plasticity in the Adult Avian Brain

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