Social and sexual behaviour of male and female zebra finches treated with oestradiol during the nestling period

Adkins‐Regan, Elizabeth; Ascenzi, Mary

doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(87)80167-7

Cited by 91 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Similar results have been obtained for a variety of mammalian species, including rat (69,70), hamster (67), dog (71), and pig (65,72). Likewise, in zebra finches immediate post-hatching treatment of females with oestradiol led them to form pair bonds with other normal females in adulthood, in a manner similar to males (73). In each of these species perinatal steroidal manipulations affected later patterns of sexual partner preference; however, in no instance has the possible interactive role of social rearing condition been analysed.…”

Section: Developmental Effects Of Sex Steroidssupporting

confidence: 78%

Steroidal Control of Behavioural, Neuroendocrine and Brain Sexual Differentiation: Studies in a Carnivore, the Ferret

Baum

Carroll

Cherrv

et al. 1990

J Neuroendocrinology

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More than 30 years have passed since the publication ( I ) showing that transplacental administration of testosterone to female guinea-pigs caused permanent changes in their ability to exhibit reproductive behaviours in response to ovarian steroids in adulthood. Over the intervening years articles have appeared which have extended this type of observation to numerous other mammalian species, including rat, hamster, gerbil, mouse, dog, ferret, pig, sheep, rhesus monkey, and marmoset (2, 3). In many instances inferences have been made about the probable existence of steroid-induced changes in the structure and function of the nervous system which underlie these changes in behaviour. These so-called 'organizational' effects of perinatal steroid exposure on the developing nervous system are often distinguished from the later 'activational' effects of these same steroids on the expression of sociosexual behaviours in adulthood. The number of different mammalian species used for mechanistic studies on the organizational effects of steroids, such as determining the precise perinatal timing of hormone action, the identity of the steroid(s) responsible for behavioural sexual differentiation, and the neural sites of steroid action, has been relatively small, and generally restricted to rodents. In the late 1970's sex steroids acting during development were first implicated in the differentiation of sexually dimorphic telencephalic structures in passerine song birds which control singing associated with courtship (4, 5). Since this early work, numerous studies have exploited the canary and zebra finch to explore mechanisms of steroid action in controlling the ontogeny of song in the male and the underlying changes in the nervous system. Other studies using the rat have explored in detail the role of androgen and oestrogen in controlling the differentiation in males of patterns of reproductive behaviour (2) as well as aspects of neural sex dimorphisms in the preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus (POA/AH) (6) and in the lumbar spinal cord (7). The concentration of mechanistic (behavioural, biochemical, neuroanatomical) studies of steroidal effects on sexually dimorphic behavioural potential in a few avian and rodent species is understandable, in light of their relative availability, low expense, and rapid time-course of neural development.Despite the substantial progress already made using these lower vertebrate models in promoting our understanding of how sex steroids influence neural and behavioural development, extrapolation of the results obtained in these studies to higher mammals including man cannot occur in the absence of some degree of empirical verification. Obviously, experimental manipulations of steroidal exposure during the development of human subjects would be unethical, thus we are left with experiments of nature (e.g. congenital adreno-genital syndrome,androgen insensitivity syndrome, and Sa-reductase deficient pseudohermaphroditism; details in later sections) with which to ask questions about the role of sex...

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Section: Developmental Effects Of Sex Steroidssupporting

confidence: 78%

Steroidal Control of Behavioural, Neuroendocrine and Brain Sexual Differentiation: Studies in a Carnivore, the Ferret

Baum

Carroll

Cherrv

et al. 1990

J Neuroendocrinology

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“…In most cases, the production of song seems to require treatment with T in adulthood, but at least one study (Simpson and Vicario, 1991a) suggests that the early E2 treatment alone is sufficient. The quality and quantity of the adult song are variable both within and across studies (Adkins-Regan and Ascenzi, 1987;Adkins-Regan et al, 1994;Gurney and Konishi, 1980), although in general it appears that the longer the birds are treated in the first few weeks after hatching, the more male-like the song becomes (Pohl-Apel and Sossinka, 1984;Simpson and Vicario, 1991a). In addition to masculinizing singing behavior, E2 treatment during the first 2 weeks after hatching can shift the sexual partner preference of zebra finch females, such that in adulthood they prefer to be near females rather than males in two-choice tests (interestingly, unisex housing produces the same effect) .…”

Section: Post-hatching Manipulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most importantly, while E2 treatment in the first few weeks after hatching generally masculinizes the structure and function of the song system of females, it prevents masculine development of copulatory behavior (Adkins-Regan and Ascenzi, 1987;Adkins-Regan et al, 1994; also when given in combination with DHT, Adkins-Regan and Ascenzi, 1990) and has decreased the volumes of area X and HVC and soma size in the RA of males (Mathews and Arnold, 1991).…”

Section: Post-hatching Manipulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zebra finch sexual differentiation: The aromatization hypothesis revisited

Wade

2001

Microscopy Res & Technique

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Zebra finches have emerged as an outstanding model system for the investigation of the mechanisms regulating brain and behavior. Their song system has proven especially useful, as the function of discrete anatomical regions have been identified, and striking parallels exist between the morphology of these regions and the level of their function in males and females. That is, the structures are substantially more developed in males, who sing, compared to females, who do not. These parallels extend from higher (telencephalic) centers to the brainstem motor nucleus that innervates the muscles of the vocal organ. Other dimorphic aspects of reproduction in the zebra finch, such as copulatory behaviors and sexual partner preference, however, are not associated with known sex differences in anatomy. In many species, sex differences in neural and peripheral structures and behavior are regulated by secretions from the gonads, which of course are sexually dimorphic themselves. In birds, sex differences at all of these levels (gonad, brain, and behavior) can be mediated by steroid hormones. However, it is not entirely clear that gonadal secretions normally participate at all of the levels. This paper reviews the evidence relating to the role of gonadal steroids in the sexual differentiation of reproductive behaviors and the central and peripheral structures known to regulate them in zebra finches, with a focus on estradiol, which has been most extensively studied in the masculinization of song system morphology and function.

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“…However, the majority of these reports have focused on the distribution of ERs in adult songbirds or in late postnatal development. This is significant because various studies have shown that the song system is most sensitive to the masculinizing effects of estrogen during the first week after hatching [Adkins-Regan and Ascenzi, 1987], and that the circuitry loses its responsiveness to estrogen by day 45 [Gurney, 1980;Konishi and Akutagawa, 1988]. Thus, one might predict higher levels of ER expression in the song control nuclei during early postnatal development.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental Regulation of the Distribution of Aromatase- and Estrogen-Receptor- mRNA-Expressing Cells in the Zebra Finch Brain

Jacobs¹,

Arnold

Campagnoni

1999

Dev Neurosci

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Strong evidence exists for the masculinizing effects of estrogen on the neural network that controls song learning and behavior in zebra finches. However, the mechanisms by which estrogen acts to influence the development of this circuitry are not well understood. In this study, we used in situ hybridization to detect the distribution of cells expressing mRNAs for AROM and ERα at postnatal days 5–25 (P5–25). Our findings revealed developmental regulation of both mRNAs in the neostriatum, archistriatum, hippocampus, diencephalon and midbrain. Within the vocal control circuitry, cells expressing ERα mRNA were found in the medial HVC (P10–25), archistriatum lateral to the RA (Ad; P25), in the ICo (P5–25), and along the fiber tract containing efferents from the RA. High levels of AROM mRNA were found in the neostriatum, including both the lateral and mMAN and along their projections to the RA and HVC, respectively, (P5–25), in the archistriatum (P18–25) and around RA (P18). Codistribution of the two mRNAs occurred along the border of the HVC suggesting that in this region, local synthesis of estrogen may be acting through its nuclear receptor to regulate gene transcription. Taken together, our findings show that the neural circuitry controlling song may be exposed to the effects of estrogen during early postnatal development. However, in most of the song control regions, these mRNAs were not expressed together either temporally or spatially, indicating that AROM may have a role in the development of the song system independent of ERα.

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Social and sexual behaviour of male and female zebra finches treated with oestradiol during the nestling period

Cited by 91 publications

References 23 publications

Steroidal Control of Behavioural, Neuroendocrine and Brain Sexual Differentiation: Studies in a Carnivore, the Ferret

Steroidal Control of Behavioural, Neuroendocrine and Brain Sexual Differentiation: Studies in a Carnivore, the Ferret

Zebra finch sexual differentiation: The aromatization hypothesis revisited

Developmental Regulation of the Distribution of Aromatase- and Estrogen-Receptor- mRNA-Expressing Cells in the Zebra Finch Brain

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