Expression of oxytocin receptors in the zebra finch brain during vocal development

Davis, Matthew C.; Grogan, Kathleen E.; Maney, Donna L.

doi:10.1101/739623

Cited by 7 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…136,137 Other neuromodulators, including norepinephrine and avian oxytocin-like signalling, are likely to enhance learning exclusively in male zebra finches upon social interactions as well. 136,138 Taken together, these studies suggest a common ground between neuromodulators and their effects on learning in both vertebrates and…”

Section: Reproductive Contextmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Socially interacting zebra finches perform better at song learning than those that are kept from interacting, an effect mediated by dopamine release upon social interactions 136,137 . Other neuromodulators, including norepinephrine and avian oxytocin‐like signalling, are likely to enhance learning exclusively in male zebra finches upon social interactions as well 136,138 . Taken together, these studies suggest a common ground between neuromodulators and their effects on learning in both vertebrates and invertebrates.…”

Section: Bridging Neuromodulation In Invertebrate and Vertebrate Learmentioning

confidence: 85%

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Neuromodulatory pathways in learning and memory: Lessons from invertebrates

Damme

Fruyt

Watteyne

et al. 2020

J Neuroendocrinology

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In an ever‐changing environment, animals have to continuously adapt their behaviour. The ability to learn from experience is crucial for animals to increase their chances of survival. It is therefore not surprising that learning and memory evolved early in evolution and are mediated by conserved molecular mechanisms. A broad range of neuromodulators, in particular monoamines and neuropeptides, have been found to influence learning and memory, although our knowledge on their modulatory functions in learning circuits remains fragmentary. Many neuromodulatory systems are evolutionarily ancient and well‐conserved between vertebrates and invertebrates. Here, we highlight general principles and mechanistic insights concerning the actions of monoamines and neuropeptides in learning circuits that have emerged from invertebrate studies. Diverse neuromodulators have been shown to influence learning and memory in invertebrates, which can have divergent or convergent actions at different spatiotemporal scales. In addition, neuromodulators can regulate learning dependent on internal and external states, such as food and social context. The strong conservation of neuromodulatory systems, the extensive toolkit and the compact learning circuits in invertebrate models make these powerful systems to further deepen our understanding of neuromodulatory pathways involved in learning and memory.

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Section: Reproductive Contextmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Bridging Neuromodulation In Invertebrate and Vertebrate Learmentioning

confidence: 85%

Neuromodulatory pathways in learning and memory: Lessons from invertebrates

Damme

Fruyt

Watteyne

et al. 2020

J Neuroendocrinology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The shift in preference at 55 dph may provide information about underlying neural mechanisms. In a previous study (Davis et al, 2019), we mapped and quantified the distribution of oxytocin receptor (OTR) expression during the entire period of vocal development in zebra finches. We found a striking reduction in OTR mRNA at 55 dph in each brain region we looked at: the lateral septum, the auditory forebrain, and two regions containing song control nuclei.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Song preferences predict the quality of vocal learning in zebra finches

Bhise

et al. 2021

Preprint

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In songbirds, learning to sing is a highly social process that likely involves social reward. Here, we hypothesized that the degree to which a juvenile songbird learns a song depends on the degree to which it finds that song rewarding to hear during vocal development. We tested this hypothesis by measuring song preferences in young birds during song learning and then analyzing their adult songs. Song preferences were measured in an operant key-pressing assay. Juvenile male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) had access to two keys, each of which was associated with a higher likelihood of playing the song of their father or that of another familiar adult ("neighbor"). To minimize the effects of exposure on learning, we implemented a reinforcement schedule that allowed us to detect preferences while balancing exposure to each song. On average, the juveniles significantly preferred the father's song early during song learning, before they were themselves singing. At around post-hatch day 60, their preference shifted to the neighbor's song. At the end of the song learning period, we recorded the juveniles' songs and compared them to the father's and the neighbor's song. All of the birds copied father's song. The accuracy with which the father's song was imitated was positively correlated with the peak strength of the preference for the father's song during the sensitive period. Our results show that preference for a social stimulus, in this case a vocalization, predicted social learning during development.

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“…Other brain regions could include the song learning nuclei. OTR expression has been identified in vocal learning nuclei, like the HVC and RA 32,33, , and based on different manipulations of the OT system, there is evidence that blocking the OT or the OTR can impact song learning (using the Manning Compound that blocks both OTR-VTRs 60 ), or singing 9,26,61 . Since BF sings a more variable song than the WRM 62 , it is tempting to hypothesize that the changes we identified in the OT expression levels could partly influence the song nuclei, and thus differences between the BF and the WRM song.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We performed reverse transcription using Superscript First-Strand Synthesis (Invitrogen) with oligo (dT) primer. Primers for OT were designed using sequences downloaded from GenBank or Ensembl (Supplementary Table 4), and for the OTR were designed based on previous studies 32,33 . The control gene was peptidylprolyl isomerase A (PPIA), which have been evaluated in two species of songbird: zebra finch and white-throated sparrow as highly stable in the brain 34 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decreased synthesis and variable gene transcripts of oxytocin in a domesticated avian species

Tobari

Theofanopoulou

Mori

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The Bengalese finch was domesticated more than 250 years ago from the wild white-rumped munia. Similar to other domesticated species, Bengalese finches show a reduced fear response and have lower corticosterone levels, compared to white-rumped munias. Bengalese finches and munias also have different song types. Since oxytocin (OT) has been found to be involved in stress coping and auditory processing, we tested whether the OT sequence and brain expression pattern and content differ in wild munias and domesticated Bengalese finches. We identified intra-strain variability in the untranslated regions of the OT sequence in Bengalese finches in comparison to the munia OT. Several of these changes fall in specific transcription factor binding sites, which show either a conserved or a relaxed evolutionary trend in the avian lineage, and in vertebrates in general. Although in situ hybridization in several hypothalamic nuclei did not reveal significant differences in the number of cells expressing OT between the two strains, real-time quantitative PCR showed significantly lower OT mRNA expression in the diencephalon of the Bengalese finches relative to munias. Our study thus points to a decreased OT synthesis in the domestic strain compared with the wild strain in birds. This is an opposite pattern from that found in some domesticated mammals, suggesting that different processes of OT function might have occurred in mammals and birds under domestication.

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Expression of oxytocin receptors in the zebra finch brain during vocal development

Cited by 7 publications

References 75 publications

Neuromodulatory pathways in learning and memory: Lessons from invertebrates

Neuromodulatory pathways in learning and memory: Lessons from invertebrates

Song preferences predict the quality of vocal learning in zebra finches

Decreased synthesis and variable gene transcripts of oxytocin in a domesticated avian species

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