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Howard MR, Ramsaroop MG, Hoadley AP, Jackson LR, Lopez MS, Saenz LA, Alward B. Female cichlids mate with novel androgen receptor mutant males that lack coloration. Horm Behav 2024; 163:105564. [PMID: 38772157 PMCID: PMC11189031 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
A key challenge in animal behavior is disentangling the social stimuli that drive conspecific behaviors. For some species, like teleost fish, putative sexual signaling cues are inextricably linked to others, making it difficult to parse the precise roles distinct signals play in driving conspecific behaviors. In the African cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni, males are either dominant or subordinate, wherein bright coloration, territoriality, and courtship behavior inextricably correlate positively with rank. Here, we leveraged androgen receptor (AR) mutant male A. burtoni that lack dominance-typical coloration but not behavior to isolate the role of male coloration in driving female mating behaviors in this species. We found in independent behavioral assays that females behave aggressively towards AR mutant but not WT males, yet still mated with both types of males. Females showed enhanced activation of esr2b + cells in the hypothalamus when housed with either mutant or WT males and this activation scaled with spawning activities. Therefore, there is not a simple relationship between male coloration and female mating behaviors in A. burtoni, suggesting independent sensory mechanisms converge on hypothalamic esr2b cells to coordinate behavioral output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R Howard
- University of Houston, Department of Psychology, United States of America
| | | | - Andrew P Hoadley
- University of Houston, Department of Psychology, United States of America
| | - Lillian R Jackson
- University of Houston, Department of Psychology, United States of America
| | - Mariana S Lopez
- University of Houston, Department of Psychology, United States of America
| | - Lauren A Saenz
- University of Houston, Department of Psychology, United States of America
| | - Beau Alward
- University of Houston, Department of Psychology, United States of America; University of Houston, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, United States of America.
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2
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Bauer MA, Bazard P, Acosta AA, Bangalore N, Elessaway L, Thivierge M, Chellani M, Zhu X, Ding B, Walton JP, Frisina RD. L-Ergothioneine slows the progression of age-related hearing loss in CBA/CaJ mice. Hear Res 2024; 446:109004. [PMID: 38608332 PMCID: PMC11112832 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2024.109004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
The naturally occurring amino acid, l-ergothioneine (EGT), has immense potential as a therapeutic, having shown promise in the treatment of other disease models, including neurological disorders. EGT is naturally uptaken into cells via its specific receptor, OCTN1, to be utilized by cells as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. In our current study, EGT was administered over a period of 6 months to 25-26-month-old CBA/CaJ mice as a possible treatment for age-related hearing loss (ARHL), since presbycusis has been linked to higher levels of cochlear oxidative stress, apoptosis, and chronic inflammation. Results from the current study indicate that EGT can prevent aging declines of some key features of ARHL. However, we found a distinct sex difference for the response to the treatments, for hearing - Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABRs) and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAEs). Males exhibited lower threshold declines in both low dose (LD) and high dose (HD) test groups throughout the testing period and did not display some of the characteristic aging declines in hearing seen in Control animals. In contrast, female mice did not show any therapeutic effects with either treatment dose. Further confirming this sex difference, EGT levels in whole blood sampling throughout the testing period showed greater uptake of EGT in males compared to females. Additionally, RT-PCR results from three tissue types of the inner ear confirmed EGT activity in the cochlea in both males and females. Males and females exhibited significant differences in biomarkers related to apoptosis (Cas-3), inflammation (TNF-a), oxidative stress (SOD2), and mitochondrial health (PGC1a).These changes were more prominent in males as compared to females, especially in stria vascularis tissue. Taken together, these findings suggest that EGT has the potential to be a naturally derived therapeutic for slowing down the progression of ARHL, and possibly other neurodegenerative diseases. EGT, while effective in the treatment of some features of presbycusis in aging males, could also be modified into a general prophylaxis for other age-related disorders where treatment protocols would include eating a larger proportion of EGT-rich foods or supplements. Lastly, the sex difference discovered here, needs further investigation to see if therapeutic conditions can be developed where aging females show better responsiveness to EGT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Bauer
- Department of Medical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Parveen Bazard
- Department of Medical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
| | - Alejandro A Acosta
- School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, 00925 Puerto Rico; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Nidhi Bangalore
- Department of Medical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Lina Elessaway
- Department of Medical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA; Biomedical Sciences - Dept. of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Mark Thivierge
- Department of Medical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Moksheta Chellani
- Department of Medical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Xiaoxia Zhu
- Department of Medical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Bo Ding
- Department of Medical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Joseph P Walton
- Department of Medical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA; Department Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Behavioral & Community Sciences, Tampa, FL 33620, USA; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Robert D Frisina
- Department of Medical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA; Department Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Behavioral & Community Sciences, Tampa, FL 33620, USA; Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA; Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
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3
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Machado GDB, Schnitzler AL, Fleischer AW, Beamish SB, Frick KM. G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) in the dorsal hippocampus regulates memory consolidation in gonadectomized male mice, likely via different signaling mechanisms than in female mice. Horm Behav 2024; 161:105516. [PMID: 38428223 PMCID: PMC11065565 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Studies in ovariectomized (OVX) female rodents suggest that G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) is a key regulator of memory, yet little is known about its importance to memory in males or the cellular mechanisms underlying its mnemonic effects in either sex. In OVX mice, bilateral infusion of the GPER agonist G-1 into the dorsal hippocampus (DH) enhances object recognition and spatial memory consolidation in a manner dependent on rapid activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling, cofilin phosphorylation, and actin polymerization in the DH. However, the effects of GPER on memory consolidation and DH cell signaling in males are unknown. Thus, the present study first assessed effects of DH infusion of G-1 or the GPER antagonist G-15 on object recognition and spatial memory consolidation in gonadectomized (GDX) male mice. As in OVX mice, immediate post-training bilateral DH infusion of G-1 enhanced, whereas G-15 impaired, memory consolidation in the object recognition and object placement tasks. However, G-1 did not increase levels of phosphorylated JNK (p46, p54) or cofilin in the DH 5, 15, or 30 min after infusion, nor did it affect phosphorylation of ERK (p42, p44), PI3K, or Akt. Levels of phospho-cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) were elevated in the DH 30 min following G-1 infusion, indicating that GPER in males activates a yet unknown signaling mechanism that triggers CREB-mediated gene transcription. Our findings show for the first time that GPER in the DH regulates memory consolidation in males and suggests sex differences in underlying signaling mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo D B Machado
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI 53211, United States of America
| | - Alexis L Schnitzler
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI 53211, United States of America
| | - Aaron W Fleischer
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI 53211, United States of America
| | - Sarah B Beamish
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI 53211, United States of America
| | - Karyn M Frick
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI 53211, United States of America.
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4
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Abstract
In recent years, the impact of prenatal sound on development, notably for programming individual phenotypes for postnatal conditions, has increasingly been revealed. However, the mechanisms through which sound affects physiology and development remain mostly unexplored. Here, I gather evidence from neurobiology, developmental biology, cellular biology and bioacoustics to identify the most plausible modes of action of sound on developing embryos. First, revealing often-unsuspected plasticity, I discuss how prenatal sound may shape auditory system development and determine individuals' later capacity to receive acoustic information. I also consider the impact of hormones, including thyroid hormones, glucocorticoids and androgen, on auditory plasticity. Second, I review what is known about sound transduction to other - non-auditory - brain regions, and its potential to input on classical developmental programming pathways. Namely, the auditory pathway has direct anatomical and functional connectivity to the hippocampus, amygdala and/or hypothalamus, in mammals, birds and anurans. Sound can thus trigger both immediate and delayed responses in these limbic regions, which are specific to the acoustic stimulus and its biological relevance. Third, beyond the brain, I briefly consider the possibility for sound to directly affect cellular functioning, based on evidence in earless organisms (e.g. plants) and cell cultures. Together, the multi-disciplinary evidence gathered here shows that the brain is wired to allow multiple physiological and developmental effects of sound. Overall, there are many unexplored, but possible, pathways for sound to impact even primitive or immature organisms. Throughout, I identify the most promising research avenues for unravelling the processes of acoustic developmental programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylene M Mariette
- Doñana Biological Station EBD-CSIC, 41092 Seville, Spain
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3216, Australia
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5
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Boerma T, Ter Haar S, Ganga R, Wijnen F, Blom E, Wierenga CJ. What risk factors for Developmental Language Disorder can tell us about the neurobiological mechanisms of language development. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 154:105398. [PMID: 37741516 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Language is a complex multidimensional cognitive system that is connected to many neurocognitive capacities. The development of language is therefore strongly intertwined with the development of these capacities and their neurobiological substrates. Consequently, language problems, for example those of children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), are explained by a variety of etiological pathways and each of these pathways will be associated with specific risk factors. In this review, we attempt to link previously described factors that may interfere with language development to putative underlying neurobiological mechanisms of language development, hoping to uncover openings for future therapeutical approaches or interventions that can help children to optimally develop their language skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tessel Boerma
- Institute for Language Sciences, Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Sita Ter Haar
- Institute for Language Sciences, Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Cognitive Neurobiology and Helmholtz Institute, Department of Psychology, Utrecht University/Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Rachida Ganga
- Institute for Language Sciences, Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Frank Wijnen
- Institute for Language Sciences, Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Elma Blom
- Department of Development and Education of youth in Diverse Societies (DEEDS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Language and Culture, The Arctic University of Norway UiT, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Corette J Wierenga
- Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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6
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Kimball MG, Harding CT, Couvillion KE, Stansberry KR, Kelly TR, Lattin CR. Effect of estradiol and predator cues on behavior and brain responses of captive female house sparrows ( Passer domesticus). Front Physiol 2023; 14:1172865. [PMID: 37427407 PMCID: PMC10326312 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1172865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The presence of predators can cause major changes in animal behavior, but how this interacts with hormonal state and brain activity is poorly understood. We gave female house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in post-molt condition an estradiol (n = 17) or empty implant (n = 16) for 1 week. Four weeks after implant removal, a time when female sparrows show large differences in neuronal activity to conspecific vs. heterospecific song, we exposed birds to either 30 min of conspecific song or predator calls, and video recorded their behavior. Females were then euthanized, and we examined neuronal activity using the expression of the immediate early gene (IEG) ZENK to identify how the acoustic stimuli affected neuronal activation. We predicted that if female sparrows with estradiol implants reduce neuronal activity in response to predator calls as they do to neutral tones and non-predatory heterospecifics, they would show less fear behavior and a decreased ZENK response in brain regions involved in auditory (e.g., caudomedial mesopallium) and threat perception functions (e.g., medial ventral arcopallium) compared to controls. Conversely, we predicted that if females maintain auditory and/or brain sensitivity towards predator calls, then female sparrows exposed to estradiol would not show any differences in ZENK response regardless of playback type. We found that female sparrows were less active during predator playbacks independent of hormone treatment and spent more time feeding during conspecific playback if they had previously been exposed to estradiol. We observed no effect of hormone or sound treatment on ZENK response in any region of interest. Our results suggest that female songbirds maintain vigilance towards predators even when in breeding condition.
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7
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Chiver I, Dos Santos EB, Valle S, Lallemand F, Cornil CA, Ball GF, Balthazart J. Effects of the depletion of neural progenitors by focal X-ray irradiation on song production and perception in canaries. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9010. [PMID: 37268657 PMCID: PMC10238387 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36089-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The song control nucleus HVC of songbirds has emerged as a widespread model system to study adult neurogenesis and the factors that modulate the incorporation of new neurons, including seasonal state, sex differences or sex steroid hormone concentrations. However, the specific function of these new neurons born in adulthood remains poorly understood. We implemented a new procedure based on focal X-ray irradiation to deplete neural progenitors in the ventricular zone adjacent to HVC and study the functional consequences. A 23 Gy dose depleted by more than 50 percent the incorporation of BrdU in neural progenitors, a depletion that was confirmed by a significant decrease in doublecortin positive neurons. This depletion of neurogenesis significantly increased the variability of testosterone-induced songs in females and decreased their bandwidth. Expression of the immediate early gene ZENK in secondary auditory areas of the telencephalon that respond to song was also inhibited. These data provide evidence that new neurons in HVC play a role in both song production and perception and that X-ray focal irradiation represents an excellent tool to advance our understanding of adult neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioana Chiver
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, 15 Avenue Hippocrate, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Ednei B Dos Santos
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, 15 Avenue Hippocrate, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Shelley Valle
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, 15 Avenue Hippocrate, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Charlotte A Cornil
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, 15 Avenue Hippocrate, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liege, 15 Avenue Hippocrate, 4000, Liège, Belgium.
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8
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Reavis KM, Bisgaard N, Canlon B, Dubno JR, Frisina RD, Hertzano R, Humes LE, Mick P, Phillips NA, Pichora-Fuller MK, Shuster B, Singh G. Sex-Linked Biology and Gender-Related Research Is Essential to Advancing Hearing Health. Ear Hear 2023; 44:10-27. [PMID: 36384870 PMCID: PMC10234332 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000001291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
There is robust evidence that sex (biological) and gender (behavioral/social) differences influence hearing loss risk and outcomes. These differences are noted for animals and humans-in the occurrence of hearing loss, hearing loss progression, and response to interventions. Nevertheless, many studies have not reported or disaggregated data by sex or gender. This article describes the influence of sex-linked biology (specifically sex-linked hormones) and gender on hearing and hearing interventions, including the role of sex-linked biology and gender in modifying the association between risk factors and hearing loss, and the effects of hearing loss on quality of life and functioning. Most prevalence studies indicate that hearing loss begins earlier and is more common and severe among men than women. Intrinsic sex-linked biological differences in the auditory system may account, in part, for the predominance of hearing loss in males. Sex- and gender-related differences in the effects of noise exposure or cardiovascular disease on the auditory system may help explain some of these differences in the prevalence of hearing loss. Further still, differences in hearing aid use and uptake, and the effects of hearing loss on health may also vary by sex and gender. Recognizing that sex-linked biology and gender are key determinants of hearing health, the present review concludes by emphasizing the importance of a well-developed research platform that proactively measures and assesses sex- and gender-related differences in hearing, including in understudied populations. Such research focus is necessary to advance the field of hearing science and benefit all members of society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M. Reavis
- VA RR&D National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, Oregon, USA
- OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | | | - Barbara Canlon
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Judy R. Dubno
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Robert D. Frisina
- Department of Medical Engineering and Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Ronna Hertzano
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Institute for Genome Science, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Larry E. Humes
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Paul Mick
- Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | | | | | - Benjamin Shuster
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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9
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Kersten Y, Friedrich-Müller B, Nieder A. A brain atlas of the carrion crow (Corvus corone). J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:3011-3038. [PMID: 35938778 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Corvidae, passerine songbirds such as jays, crows, and ravens known as corvids, have become model systems for the study of avian cognition. The superior cognitive capabilities of corvids mainly emerge from a disproportionally large telencephalon found in these species. However, a systematic mapping of the neuroanatomy of the corvid brain, and the telencephalon in particular, is lacking so far. Here, we present a brain atlas of the carrion crow, Corvus corone, with special emphasis on the telencephalic pallium. We applied four staining techniques to brain slices (Nissl, myelin, combination of Nissl and myelin, and tyrosine hydroxylase targeting catecholaminergic neurons). This allowed us to identify brain nuclei throughout the brain and delineate the known pallial subdivisions termed hyperpallium, entopallium, mesopallium, nidopallium, arcopallium, and hippocampal complex. The extent of these subdivisions and brain nuclei are described according to stereotaxic coordinates. In addition, 3D depictions of pallial regions were reconstructed from these slices. While the overall organization of the carrion crow's brain matches other songbird brains, the relative proportions and expansions of associative pallial areas differ considerably in agreement with enhanced cognitive skills found in corvids. The presented global organization of the crow brain in stereotaxic coordinates will help to guide future neurobiological studies in corvids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ylva Kersten
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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10
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Butler JM, Maruska KP. Opsin Expression Varies with Reproductive State in the Cichlid Fish Astatotilapia burtoni. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:240-248. [PMID: 33972997 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals use visual communication to convey crucial information about their identity, reproductive status, and sex. Plasticity in the auditory and olfactory systems has been well-documented, however, fewer studies have tested for plasticity in the visual system, a surprising detail since courtship and mate choice are largely dependent on visual signals across taxa. We previously found reproductive state-dependent plasticity in the eye of the highly social cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni. Male A. burtoni increase their courtship, including multicomponent visual displays, when around ovulated females, and ovulated females are more responsive to male visual courtship displays than non-ovulated females. Based on this, we hypothesized that ovulation status impacts visual capabilities in A. burtoni females. Using electroretinograms, we found that ovulated females had greater visual sensitivity at wavelengths corresponding to male courtship coloration compared with non-reproductively-receptive females. In addition, ovulated females had higher neural activation in the retina and higher mRNA expression levels of neuromodulatory receptors (e.g., sex-steroids; gonadotropins) in the eye than non-ovulated females. Here, we add to this body of work by testing the hypothesis that cone opsin expression changes with female reproductive state. Ovulated females had higher expression of short wavelength sensitive opsins (sws1, sws2a, sws2b) compared with mouthbrooding females. Further, expression of sws2a, the most abundant opsin in the A. burtoni eye, positively correlated with levels of circulating 11-ketotestosterone and estradiol and estrogen, androgen, and gonadotropin system receptor expression in the eye in females. These data indicate that reproductive state-dependent plasticity also occurs at the level of photoreceptors, not just through modulation of visual signals at downstream retinal layers. Collectively, these data provide crucial evidence linking endocrine modulation of visual plasticity to mate choice behaviors in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M Butler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Bldg, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.,Department of Biology, Stanford University, 304 Gilbert, 371 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Karen P Maruska
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Bldg, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
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11
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Sakata JT, Catalano I, Woolley SC. Mechanisms, development, and comparative perspectives on experience-dependent plasticity in social behavior. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2021; 337:35-49. [PMID: 34516724 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Revealing the mechanisms underlying experience-dependent plasticity is a hallmark of behavioral neuroscience. While the study of social behavior has focused primarily on the neuroendocrine and neural control of social behaviors, the plasticity of these innate behaviors has received relatively less attention. Here, we review studies on mating-dependent changes to social behavior and neural circuitry across mammals, birds, and reptiles. We provide an overview of species similarities and differences in the effects of mating experiences on motivational and performative aspects of sexual behaviors, on sensory processing and preferences, and on the experience-dependent consolidation of sexual behavior. We also discuss recent insights into the neural mechanisms of and developmental influences on mating-dependent changes and outline promising approaches to investigate evolutionary parallels and divergences in experience-dependent plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon T Sakata
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Isabella Catalano
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Sarah C Woolley
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
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12
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Gall MD, Baugh AT, Lucas JR, Bee MA. Social Communication across Reproductive Boundaries: Hormones and the Auditory Periphery of Songbirds and Frogs. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:292-301. [PMID: 33988694 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Most animals experience reproductive transitions in their lives; for example, reaching reproductive maturity or cycling in and out of breeding condition. Some reproductive transitions are abrupt, while others are more gradual. In most cases, changes in communication between the sexes follow the time course of these reproductive transitions and are typically thought to be coordinated by steroid hormones. We know a great deal about hormonal control of communication behaviors in birds and frogs, as well as the central neural control of these behaviors. There has also been significant interest in the effects of steroid hormones on central nervous system structures that control both the production and reception of communication signals associated with reproductive behaviors. However, peripheral sensory structures have typically received less attention, although there has been growing interest in recent years. It is becoming clear that peripheral sensory systems play an important role in reproductive communication, are plastic across reproductive conditions, and, in some cases, this plasticity may be mediated by steroid hormones. In this article, we discuss recent evidence for the role of peripheral auditory structures in reproductive communication in birds and frogs, the plasticity of the peripheral auditory system, and the role of steroid hormones in mediating the effects of the peripheral auditory system on reproductive communication. We focus on both seasonal and acute reproductive transitions, introduce new data on the role of hormones in modulating seasonal patterns, and make recommendations for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan D Gall
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
| | - Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Lucas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 65203, USA
| | - Mark A Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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13
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Maruska KP, Butler JM. Reproductive- and Social-State Plasticity of Multiple Sensory Systems in a Cichlid Fish. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:249-268. [PMID: 33963407 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Intra- and inter-sexual communications are vital to the survival and reproductive success of animals. In species that cycle in and out of breeding or other physiological condition, sensory function can be modulated to optimize communication at crucial times. Little is known, however, about how widespread this sensory plasticity is across taxa, whether it occurs in multiple senses or both sexes within a species, and what potential modulatory substances and substrates are involved. Thus, studying modulation of sensory communication in a single species can provide valuable insights for understanding how sensory abilities can be altered to optimize detection of salient signals in different sensory channels and social contexts. The African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni uses multimodal communication in social contexts such as courtship, territoriality, and parental care and shows plasticity in sensory abilities. In this review, we synthesize what is known about how visual, acoustic, and chemosensory communication is used in A. burtoni in inter- and intra-specific social contexts, how sensory funtion is modulated by an individual's reproductive, metabolic, and social state, and discuss evidence for plasticity in potential modulators that may contribute to changes in sensory abilities and behaviors. Sensory plasticity in females is primarily associated with the natural reproductive cycle and functions to improve detection of courtship signals (visual, auditory, chemosensory, and likely mechanosensory) from high-quality males for reproduction. Plasticity in male sensory abilities seems to function in altering their ability to detect the status of other males in the service of territory ownership and future reproductive opportunities. Changes in different classes of potential modulators or their receptors (steroids, neuropeptides, and biogenic amines) occur at both peripheral sensory organs (eye, inner ear, and olfactory epithelium) and central visual, olfactory, and auditory processing regions, suggesting complex mechanisms contributing to plasticity of sensory function. This type of sensory plasticity revealed in males and females of A. burtoni is likely more widespread among diverse animals than currently realized, and future studies should take an integrative and comparative approach to better understand the proximate and ultimate mechanisms modulating communication abilities across taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen P Maruska
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Bldg., Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Julie M Butler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Bldg., Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
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14
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Frisina RD, Bazard P, Bauer M, Pineros J, Zhu X, Ding B. Translational implications of the interactions between hormones and age-related hearing loss. Hear Res 2020; 402:108093. [PMID: 33097316 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2020.108093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 09/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Provocative research has revealed both positive and negative effects of hormones on hearing as we age; with in some cases, mis-regulation of hormonal levels in instances of medical comorbidities linked to aging, lying at the heart of the problem. Animal model studies have discovered that hormonal fluctuations can sharpen hearing for improved communication and processing of mating calls during reproductive seasons. Sex hormones sometimes have positive effects on auditory processing, as is often the case with estrogen, whereas combinations of estrogen and progesterone, and testosterone, can have negative effects on hearing abilities, particularly in aging subjects. Too much or too little of some hormones can be detrimental, as is the case for aldosterone and thyroid hormones, which generally decline in older individuals. Too little insulin, as in Type 1 diabetics, or poor regulation of insulin, as in Type 2 diabetics, is also harmful to hearing in our aged population. In terms of clinical translational possibilities, hormone therapies can be problematic due to systemic side effects, as has happened for estrogen/progestin combination hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in older women, where the HRT induces a hearing loss. As hormone therapy approaches are further developed, it may be possible to lower needed doses of hormones by combining them with supplements, such as antioxidants. Another option will be to take advantage of emerging technologies for local drug delivery to the inner ear, including biodegradeable, sustained-release hydrogels and micro-pumps which can be implanted in the middle ear near the round window. In closing, exciting research completed to date, summarized in the present report bodes well for emerging biomedical therapies to prevent or treat age-related hearing loss utilizing hormonal strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- R D Frisina
- Dept. Medical Engineering, Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa FL, USA; Dept. Communication Sciences & Disorders, Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa FL, USA.
| | - P Bazard
- Dept. Medical Engineering, Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa FL, USA
| | - M Bauer
- Dept. Medical Engineering, Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa FL, USA
| | - J Pineros
- Dept. Medical Engineering, Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa FL, USA
| | - X Zhu
- Dept. Medical Engineering, Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa FL, USA
| | - B Ding
- Dept. Medical Engineering, Global Center for Hearing & Speech Research, University of South Florida, Tampa FL, USA
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15
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Sex differences and similarities in the neural circuit regulating song and other reproductive behaviors in songbirds. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:258-269. [PMID: 32735803 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In the 1970s, Nottebohm and Arnold reported marked male-biased sex differences in the volume of three song control nuclei in songbirds. Subsequently a series of studies on several songbird species suggested that there is a positive correlation between the degree to which there is a sex difference in the volume of these song control nuclei and in song behavior. This correlation has been questioned in recent years. Furthermore, it has become clear that the song circuit is fully integrated into a more comprehensive neural circuit that regulates multiple courtship and reproductive behaviors including song. Sex differences in songbirds should be evaluated in the context of the full complement of behaviors produced by both sexes in relation to reproduction and based on the entire circuit in order to understand the functional significance of variation between males and females in brain and behavior. Variation in brain and behavior exhibited among living songbird species provides an excellent opportunity to understand the functional significance of sex differences related to social behaviors.
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16
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von Eugen K, Tabrik S, Güntürkün O, Ströckens F. A comparative analysis of the dopaminergic innervation of the executive caudal nidopallium in pigeon, chicken, zebra finch, and carrion crow. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:2929-2955. [PMID: 32020608 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Despite the long, separate evolutionary history of birds and mammals, both lineages developed a rich behavioral repertoire of remarkably similar executive control generated by distinctly different brains. The seat for executive functioning in birds is the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) and the mammalian equivalent is known as the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Both are densely innervated by dopaminergic fibers, and are an integration center of sensory input and motor output. Whereas the variation of the PFC has been well documented in different mammalian orders, we know very little about the NCL across the avian clade. In order to investigate whether this structure adheres to species-specific variations, this study aimed to describe the trajectory of the NCL in pigeon, chicken, carrion crow and zebra finch. We employed immunohistochemistry to map dopaminergic innervation, and executed a Gallyas stain to visualize the dorsal arcopallial tract that runs between the NCL and the arcopallium. Our analysis showed that whereas the trajectory of the NCL in the chicken is highly comparable to the pigeon, the two Passeriformes show a strikingly different pattern. In both carrion crow and zebra finch, we identified four different subareas of high dopaminergic innervation that span the entire caudal forebrain. Based on their sensory input, motor output, and involvement in dopamine-related cognitive control of the delineated areas here, we propose that at least three morphologically different subareas constitute the NCL in these songbirds. Thus, our study shows that comparable to the PFC in mammals, the NCL in birds varies considerably across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaya von Eugen
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sepideh Tabrik
- Neurologische Klinik, Universitätsklinikum Bergmannsheil GmbH, Bochum, Germany
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Felix Ströckens
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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17
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Delhez A, Lefebvre P, Péqueux C, Malgrange B, Delacroix L. Auditory function and dysfunction: estrogen makes a difference. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:619-635. [PMID: 31522250 PMCID: PMC11105012 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03295-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Estrogen is the major female hormone involved in reproductive functions, but it also exerts a variety of additional roles in non-reproductive organs. In this review, we highlight the preclinical and clinical studies that have pointed out sex differences and estrogenic influence on audition. We also describe the experimental evidences supporting a protective role of estrogen towards acquired forms of hearing loss. Although a high level of endogenous estrogen is associated with a better hearing function, hormonal treatments at menopause have provided contradictory outcomes. The various factors that are likely to explain these discrepancies include the treatment regimen as well as the hormonal status and responsiveness of the patients. The complexity of estrogen signaling is being untangled and many downstream effectors of its genomic and non-genomic actions have been identified in other systems. Based on these advances and on the common physio-pathological events that underlie age-related, drug or noise-induced hearing loss, we discuss potential mechanisms for their protective actions in the cochlea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandine Delhez
- GIGA-Neurosciences, Developmental Neurobiology Unit, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
- Department of ENT, CHU de Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | | | - Christel Péqueux
- GIGA-Cancer, Laboratory of Tumors Biology and Development, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Brigitte Malgrange
- GIGA-Neurosciences, Developmental Neurobiology Unit, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Laurence Delacroix
- GIGA-Neurosciences, Developmental Neurobiology Unit, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
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18
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Ball GF, Madison FN, Balthazart J, Alward BA. How does testosterone act to regulate a multifaceted adaptive response? Lessons from studies of the avian song system. J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12793. [PMID: 31514252 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In male songbirds, song functions to attract a mate or to defend a territory; it is therefore often produced in the context of reproduction. Testosterone of gonadal origin increases during the reproductive phase of the annual cycle and significantly enhances song production, as well as song development, via effects on song crystallisation. The neural control of birdsong production and learning is highly modular. We implanted testosterone or androgen antagonists into specific brain regions or in the periphery of castrated male canaries and, in this way, identified how androgen signalling in specific locations regulates a variety of birdsong features. For example, castrated male canaries treated with testosterone in the preoptic area only and exposed to long days sing at high rates compared to castrated male canaries not treated with testosterone. However, these birds with testosterone in the preoptic area still produce songs with substantially lower song stereotypy and amplitude; these features are controlled by testosterone acting in the song control nuclei HVC and robust nucleus of the arcopallium. Specific aspects of the learned singing behaviour are thus regulated by androgens acting at multiple levels in the brain in a non-redundant fashion. The action of testosterone in the preoptic area is related to the hormonal regulation of the motivation to sing but not to various aspects of song performance. Multiple aspects of song quality are instead precisely regulated by steroids acting in distinct song control nuclei. Females exert a strong choice for specific features of male song in canaries and this choice is influenced by the endocrine state of the female. The female song system is also involved in song production, as well as song perception, although the specificity of this hormone action has not yet been investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory F Ball
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Farrah N Madison
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | | | - Beau A Alward
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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19
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Segura-Hernández L, Aisenberg A, Vargas E, Hernández-Durán L, Eberhard WG, Barrantes G. Tuning in to the male: evidence contradicting sexually antagonistic coevolution models of sexual selection in Leucauge mariana (Araneae Tetragnathidae). ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2019.1682058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Segura-Hernández
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria, San José, Costa Rica
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Anita Aisenberg
- Departamento de Ecología y Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Eric Vargas
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Linda Hernández-Durán
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
| | - William G. Eberhard
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria, San José, Costa Rica
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama
- Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Gilbert Barrantes
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria, San José, Costa Rica
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20
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Butler JM, Whitlow SM, Rogers LS, Putland RL, Mensinger AF, Maruska KP. Reproductive state-dependent plasticity in the visual system of an African cichlid fish. Horm Behav 2019; 114:104539. [PMID: 31199904 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Visual communication is used widely across the animal kingdom to convey crucial information about an animals' identity, reproductive status, and sex. Although it is well-demonstrated that auditory and olfactory sensitivity can change with reproductive state, fewer studies have tested for plasticity in the visual system, a surprising detail since courtship and mate choice behaviors in many species are largely dependent on visual signals. Here, we tested for reproductive state-dependent plasticity in the eye of the cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni using behavioral, gene expression, neural activation, and electrophysiology techniques. Males court ovulated females more intensely than gravid females, and ovulated females were more responsive to male courtship behaviors than gravid females. Using electroretinography to measure visual sensitivity in dark-adapted fish, we revealed that gravid, reproductively-ready females have increased visual sensitivity at wavelengths associated with male courtship coloration compared to non-gravid females. After ovulation was hormonally induced, female's spectral sensitivity further increased compared to pre-injection measurements. This increased sensitivity after hormone injection was absent in non-gravid females and in males, suggesting an ovulation-triggered increase in visual sensitivity. Ovulated females had higher mRNA expression levels of reproductive neuromodulatory receptors (sex-steroids; gonadotropins) in the eye than nonovulated females, whereas males had similar expression levels independent of reproductive/social state. In addition, female mate choice-like behaviors positively correlated with expression of gonadotropin system receptors in the eye. Collectively, these data provide crucial evidence linking endocrine modulation of visual plasticity to mate choice behaviors in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M Butler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, USA.
| | - Sarah M Whitlow
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, USA
| | | | | | | | - Karen P Maruska
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, USA
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21
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Haakenson CM, Madison FN, Ball GF. Effects of Song Experience and Song Quality on Immediate Early Gene Expression in Female Canaries (Serinus canaria). Dev Neurobiol 2019; 79:521-535. [PMID: 31070003 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Female songbirds are thought to make mate choices based on aspects of male song quality. Male canaries (Serinus canaria) produce songs with "special" syllables that have been shown to be highly salient to female listeners - eliciting high rates of sexual displays and enhanced immediate early gene (IEG) expression. Immunohistochemistry for the IEG ZENK was used to examine the effects of experience with these syllables on activity in the caudal mesopallium (CMM) and nidocaudal mesopallium (NCM), two auditory areas important in processing conspecific song. Photostimulated female canaries were housed in sound attenuated chambers and played pseudosongs containing either three special syllables or three non-special syllables, an intro, and an outro sequence. Females that heard special syllable pseudosongs exhibited higher ZENK expression in CMM. To assess the effects of experience, photostimulated females were pair housed and exposed to playback of song with or without special syllables for 14 days. After transfer to individual housing, birds were played one of the aforementioned stimuli or silence. ZENK expression in CMM and NCM was equivalent for song with and without special syllables, but significantly lower for silence. Females who experienced song with special syllables had lower plasma estradiol concentrations after final song playback. This study indicates that CMM exhibits an IEG response bias to special syllables in limited acoustic contexts, but not in full song, which may contain additional biologically relevant information. Furthermore, estradiol concentrations may mediate changes in song responses, serving as a mechanism for modulating mate choice in differing song environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea M Haakenson
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742
| | - Farrah N Madison
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742
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22
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Gall MD, Bee MA, Baugh AT. The difference a day makes: Breeding remodels hearing, hormones and behavior in female Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis). Horm Behav 2019; 108:62-72. [PMID: 30653979 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
In seasonal breeders, there are behavioral, endocrine, and neural adaptations that promote the sexual receptivity of females and tune their sensory systems to detect and discriminate among advertising males and to successfully copulate. What happens immediately after this key life history event is unclear, but this transitional moment offers a window into the mechanisms that remodel sexual phenotypes. In this study of wild female Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis), we tested the hypothesis that oviposition results in a suite of coordinated changes in the sexual phenotype. Specifically, we predicted that sexual receptivity and discrimination behaviors would decline along with circulating concentrations of steroid hormones (corticosterone, estradiol, testosterone) and auditory sensitivity to the acoustic frequencies emphasized in male advertisement calls. We conducted these trait measurements before and after oviposition (ca. 24-h period). There was a 100% decrease in behavioral responsiveness after oviposition, and the concentrations of all three steroids plummeted during this brief window of time, especially testosterone. Moreover, higher concentrations of corticosterone-an important component of the endocrine stress response-were associated with longer response latencies, suggesting that adrenal hormones should be considered in future studies on the hormonal basis of mate choice. Counter to our prediction, auditory sensitivity increased following oviposition, and the amplitude of the auditory brainstem response was influenced by concentrations of estradiol. In pre-oviposition females auditory sensitivity diminished with increasing estradiol concentrations, while sensitivity increased with increasing estradiol concentrations in post-oviposition females, suggesting non-linear estrogenic modulation of peripheral auditory neural recruitment. Overall, our results indicate that there is considerable remodeling of behavioral output following oviposition that co-occurs with changes in both endocrine and sensory physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan D Gall
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
| | - Mark A Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 1479 Gortner Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA.
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23
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Fishbein AR, Lawson SL, Dooling RJ, Ball GF. How canaries listen to their song: Species-specific shape of auditory perception. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2019; 145:562. [PMID: 30710963 PMCID: PMC6910023 DOI: 10.1121/1.5087692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The melodic, rolling songs of canaries have entertained humans for centuries and have been studied for decades by researchers interested in vocal learning, but relatively little is known about how the birds listen to their songs. Here, it is investigated how discriminable the general acoustic features of conspecific songs are to canaries, and their discrimination abilities are compared with a small parrot species, the budgerigar. Past experiments have shown that female canaries are more sexually responsive to a particular song element-the "special" syllables-and consistent with those observations, it was found that special syllables are perceptually distinctive for canaries. It is also shown that canaries discriminate the subtle differences among syllables and phrases using spectral, envelope, and temporal fine structure cues. Yet, while canaries can hear these fine details of the acoustic structure of their song, the evidence overall suggests that they listen at a more global, phrase by phrase level, rather than an analytic, syllable by syllable level, except when attending to some features of special syllables. These results depict the species-specific shape of auditory perception in canaries and lay the groundwork for future studies examining how song perception changes seasonally and according to hormonal state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R Fishbein
- Psychology Department, University of Maryland, 4094 Campus Drive, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Shelby L Lawson
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Champaign, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Robert J Dooling
- Psychology Department, University of Maryland, 4094 Campus Drive, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Gregory F Ball
- Psychology Department, University of Maryland, 4094 Campus Drive, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
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24
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Lynch KS, Azieva G, Pellicano A. Socially regulated estrogen in an eavesdropping brood parasite. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 269:166-170. [PMID: 30244054 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Social regulation of reproductive hormones is a means by which conspecific males and females orchestrate successful reproductive efforts. We investigate whether social cues modify activity within the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and the specificity of this response in a social parasite that is known to eavesdrop on the communication signals of other species: the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater). Brown-headed cowbirds are obligate brood parasites that do not build nests or care for their own young. Instead, obligate brood parasites leave their eggs in the nest of a host species and therefore must coordinate their breeding attempts with conspecifics as well as potential heterospecific hosts. Here, we explore whether the vocal signals of potential host species can also be used as a social cue that modifies the HPG axis of female brown-headed cowbirds. Results reveal that both conspecific and heterospecific song-exposed females exhibit significantly greater circulating estradiol concentrations as compared to silence-exposed females. While conspecific song induces the greatest elevation in circulating estradiol, there is no significant difference in circulating estradiol levels in females exposed to either conspecific or heterospecific songs. This pattern suggests both song types are effective at evoking a reproductive physiological response. On the other hand, circulating progesterone concentrations did not differ among the song- and silence-exposed groups nor did the size of the female's ovarian follicles. These results indicate that heterospecific vocal communication signals can effectively be used as a social cue that simultaneously provides necessary information regarding breeding status of hosts and modifies breeding condition of the eavesdropper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen S Lynch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, United States.
| | - Gulnoza Azieva
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, United States
| | - Anthony Pellicano
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, United States
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25
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Bastien B, Farley G, Ge F, Malin JS, Simon-Plumb CL, Pulley DM, Yang C, Baugh AT. The Waiting and Mating Game: Condition Dependent Mate Sampling in Female Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor). Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
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26
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Van der Linden A, Balthazart J. Rapid changes in auditory processing in songbirds following acute aromatase inhibition as assessed by fMRI. Horm Behav 2018; 104:63-76. [PMID: 29605635 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Revised: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Contribution to Special Issue on Fast effects of steroids. This review introduces functional MRI (fMRI) as an outstanding tool to assess rapid effects of sex steroids on auditory processing in seasonal songbirds. We emphasize specific advantages of this method as compared to other more conventional and invasive methods used for this purpose and summarize an exemplary auditory fMRI study performed on male starlings exposed to different types of starling song before and immediately after the inhibition of aromatase activity by an i.p. injection of Vorozole™. We describe how most challenges that relate to the necessity to anesthetize subjects and minimize image- and sound-artifacts can be overcome in order to obtain a voxel-based 3D-representation of changes in auditory brain activity to various sound stimuli before and immediately after a pharmacologically-induced depletion of endogenous estrogens. Analysis of the fMRI data by assumption-free statistical methods identified fast specific changes in activity in the auditory brain regions that were stimulus-specific, varying over different seasons, and in several instances lateralized to the left side of the brain. This set of results illustrates the unique features of fMRI that provides opportunities to localize and quantify the brain responses to rapid changes in hormonal status. fMRI offers a new image-guided research strategy in which the spatio-temporal profile of fast neuromodulations can be identified and linked to specific behavioral inputs or outputs. This approach can also be combined with more localized invasive methods to investigate the mechanisms underlying the observed neural changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Laboratory, University of Antwerp, CDE, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
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Rodríguez-Saltos CA, Lyons SM, Sockman KW, Maney DL. Sound-induced monoaminergic turnover in the auditory forebrain depends on endocrine state in a seasonally-breeding songbird. J Neuroendocrinol 2018; 30:e12606. [PMID: 29738608 PMCID: PMC6365208 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Sensory responses to courtship signals can be altered by reproductive hormones. In seasonally-breeding female songbirds, for example, sound-induced immediate early gene expression in the auditory pathway is selective for male song over behaviourally irrelevant sounds only when plasma estradiol reaches breeding-like levels. This selectivity has been hypothesized to be mediated by release of monoaminergic neuromodulators in the auditory pathway. We previously showed that in oestrogen-primed female white-throated sparrows, exposure to male song induced dopamine and serotonin release in auditory regions. In order to mediate hormone-dependent selectivity, this release must be (1) selective for song and (2) modulated by endocrine state. Therefore, in the current study we addressed both questions by conducting playbacks of song or a control sound to females in a breeding-like or non-breeding endocrine state. We then used high performance liquid chromatography to measure turnover of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in the auditory midbrain and forebrain. We found that sound-induced turnover of dopamine and serotonin did in fact depend on endocrine state; hearing sound increased turnover in the auditory forebrain only in the birds in a breeding-like endocrine state. Contrary to our expectations, these increases occurred in response to either song or artificial tones; in other words, they were not selective for song. The selectivity of sound-induced monoamine release was thus strikingly different from that of immediate early gene responses described in previous studies. We did, however, find that constitutive monoamine release was altered by endocrine state; whether the birds heard sound or not, turnover of serotonin in the auditory forebrain was higher in a breeding-like state than in a non-breeding endocrine state. Our results suggest that dopaminergic and serotonergic responses to song and other sounds, as well as serotonergic tone in auditory areas, could be seasonally modulated. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susan M. Lyons
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Keith W. Sockman
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
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Lynch KS. Understanding Female Receiver Psychology in Reproductive Contexts. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 57:797-807. [PMID: 28992038 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mate choice decision-making requires four components: sensory, cognitive, motivation, and salience. During the breeding season, the neural mechanisms underlying these components act in concert to radically transform the way a female perceives the social cues around her as well as the way in which cognitive and motivational processes influence her decision to respond to courting males. The role of each of these four components in mate choice responses will be discussed here as well as the brain regions involved in regulating each component. These components are not independent, modular systems. Instead, they are dependent on one another. This review will discuss the many ways in which these components interact and affect one another. The interaction of these components, however, ultimately leads back to a few key neuromodulators that thread motivation, sensory, salience, and cognitive components into a set of inter-dependent processes. These neuromodulators are estrogens and catecholamines. This review will highlight the need to understand estrogens in reproductive contexts not just as simply a 'sexual motivation modulator' or catecholamines as 'cognitive regulators' but as neuromodulators that work together to fully transform a non-breeding female into a completely reproductive female displaying: heightened sexual interest in courting males, greater arousal and selective attention toward courtship signals, improved signal detection and discrimination abilities, enhanced contextual signal memory, and increased motivation to respond to signals assigned incentive salience. The aim of this review is to build a foundation in which to understand the brain regions associated with cognitive, sensory, motivational, and signal salience not as independently acting systems but as a set of interacting processes that function together in a context-appropriate manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen S Lynch
- Department of Biology, Hofstra University, 325 Gittleson Hall, Hempstead, NY 11746, USA
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Petersen CL, Hurley LM. Putting it in Context: Linking Auditory Processing with Social Behavior Circuits in the Vertebrate Brain. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 57:865-877. [PMID: 28985384 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icx055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Context is critical to the adaptive value of communication. Sensory systems such as the auditory system represent an important juncture at which information on physiological state or social valence can be added to communicative information. However, the neural pathways that convey context to the auditory system are not well understood. The serotonergic system offers an excellent model to address these types of questions. Serotonin fluctuates in the mouse inferior colliculus (IC), an auditory midbrain region important for species-specific vocalizations, during specific social and non-social contexts. Furthermore, serotonin is an indicator of the valence of event-based changes within individual social interactions. We propose a model in which the brain's social behavior network serves as an afferent effector of the serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus in order to gate contextual release of serotonin in the IC. Specifically, discrete vasopressinergic nuclei within the hypothalamus and extended amygdala that project to the dorsal raphe are functionally engaged during contexts in which serotonin fluctuates in the IC. Since serotonin strongly influences the responses of IC neurons to social vocalizations, this pathway could serve as a feedback loop whereby integrative social centers modulate their own sources of input. The end result of this feedback would be to produce a process that is geared, from sensory input to motor output, toward responding appropriately to a dynamic external world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura M Hurley
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, 47405 IN, USA
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Krentzel AA, Macedo-Lima M, Ikeda MZ, Remage-Healey L. A Membrane G-Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor Is Necessary but Not Sufficient for Sex Differences in Zebra Finch Auditory Coding. Endocrinology 2018; 159:1360-1376. [PMID: 29351614 PMCID: PMC5839738 DOI: 10.1210/en.2017-03102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Estradiol acts as a neuromodulator in brain regions important for cognition and sensory processing. Estradiol also shapes brain sex differences but rarely have these concepts been considered simultaneously. In male and female songbirds, estradiol rapidly increases within the auditory forebrain during song exposure and enhances local auditory processing. We tested whether G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1), a membrane-bound estrogen receptor, is necessary and sufficient for neuroestrogen regulation of forebrain auditory processing in male and female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). At baseline, we observed that females had elevated single-neuron responses to songs vs males. In males, narrow-spiking (NS) neurons were more responsive to conspecific songs than broad-spiking (BS) neurons, yet cell types were similarly auditory responsive in females. Following acute inactivation of GPER1, auditory responsiveness and coding were suppressed in male NS yet unchanged in female NS and in BS of both sexes. By contrast, GPER1 activation did not mimic previously established estradiol actions in either sex. Lastly, the expression of GPER1 and its coexpression with an inhibitory neuron marker were similarly abundant in males and females, confirming anatomical similarity in the auditory forebrain. In this study, we found: (1) a role for GPER1 in regulating sensory processing and (2) a sex difference in auditory processing of complex vocalizations in a cell type-specific manner. These results reveal sex specificity of a rapid estrogen signaling mechanism in which neuromodulation accounts and/or compensates for brain sex differences, dependent on cell type, in brain regions that are anatomically similar in both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda A. Krentzel
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002
- Correspondence: Amanda A. Krentzel, PhD, David Clark Laboratories, North Carolina State University, 100 Eugene Brooks Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607. E-mail:
| | - Matheus Macedo-Lima
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, DF 70040-020 Brasília, Brazil
| | - Maaya Z. Ikeda
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002
| | - Luke Remage-Healey
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002
- Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002
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Roach SP, Mennill DJ, Phillmore LS. Operant discrimination of relative frequency ratios in black-capped chickadee song. Anim Cogn 2017; 20:961-973. [PMID: 28721574 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1115-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Revised: 06/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The two-note fee bee song of the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is sung at many different absolute frequencies, but the relative frequencies, or "pitch ratios", between the start and end of the fee note (glissando) and the fee and the bee notes (inter-note interval) are preserved with each pitch-shift. Ability to perceive these ratios and their relative salience varies with sex of the bird and setting: while both sexes appear to perceive changes in the inter-note interval, males appear to attend to the glissando in the field, and females appear to attend to both ratios. In this study, we compared directly whether male and female chickadees could discriminate between normal fee bee songs and songs that had one or both of the pitch ratios altered, and whether birds attended to one type of alteration over another. Both sexes learned to discriminate normal from altered songs; songs lacking an inter-note interval were more easily discriminated than songs with only the glissando removed. Females performed slightly better than males, including in the most difficult task with the stimuli lacking the glissando. Our study illustrates the value of using perceptual tasks to directly compare performance between the sexes and to demonstrate the difference between perception of and attention to acoustic features of vocal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean P Roach
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, P.O. Box 15000, 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Daniel J Mennill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Leslie S Phillmore
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, P.O. Box 15000, 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada.
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Hanson JL, Hurley LM. Serotonin, estrus, and social context influence c-Fos immunoreactivity in the inferior colliculus. Behav Neurosci 2016; 130:600-613. [PMID: 27657308 PMCID: PMC5114148 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental task of sensory systems is to extract relevant social information from a range of environmental stimuli in the face of changing behavioral contexts and reproductive states. Neuromodulatory pathways that interact with such contextual variables are 1 mechanism for achieving this. In the mouse inferior colliculus (IC), a midbrain auditory region, the neuromodulator serotonin increases in females interacting with courting males, but events downstream of serotonin release have not been investigated. Here, we manipulated serotonin levels in female mice with the serotonin releaser fenfluramine or the serotonin depleter para-chlorophenylalaninemethyl ester (pCPA). Females were then exposed to an empty cage, a male partner, or a playback of courtship vocalizations, and the numbers of neurons in the IC with positive immunoreactivity for the immediate early gene product c-Fos were measured. The effects of drug treatments depended on social context and estrous state. Fenfluramine had greater effects in the nonsocial than in the partner social treatments. Females in proestrus or estrus and given fenfluramine had higher densities of c-Fos immunoreactive neurons, while females in diestrus had fewer immunoreactive neurons. The drug pCPA had the expected opposite effect of fenfluramine, causing a decreased response in pro/estrus females and an increased response in diestrus females. These findings show that the effects of serotonin on c-Fos activity in the IC of females is dependent on both external context and reproductive state, and suggest that these effects occur downstream of serotonin release. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Mangiamele LA, Gomez JR, Curtis NJ, Thompson RR. GPER/GPR30, a membrane estrogen receptor, is expressed in the brain and retina of a social fish (Carassius auratus) and colocalizes with isotocin. J Comp Neurol 2016; 525:252-270. [PMID: 27283982 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Estradiol rapidly (within 30 minutes) influences a variety of sociosexual behaviors in both mammalian and nonmammalian vertebrates, including goldfish, in which it rapidly stimulates approach responses to the visual cues of females. Such rapid neuromodulatory effects are likely mediated via membrane-associated estrogen receptors; however, the localization and distribution of such receptors within the nervous system is not well described. To begin to address this gap, we identified GPER/GPR30, a G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor, in goldfish (Carassius auratus) neural tissue and used reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization to test if GPR30 is expressed in the brain regions that might mediate visually guided social behaviors in males. We then used immunohistochemistry to determine whether GPR30 colocalizes with isotocin-producing cells in the preoptic area, a critical node in the highly conserved vertebrate social behavior network. We used quantitative (q)PCR to test whether GPR30 mRNA levels differ in males in breeding vs. nonbreeding condition and in males that were socially interacting with a female vs. a rival male. Our results show that GPR30 is expressed in the retina and in many brain regions that receive input from the retina and/or optic tectum, as well as in a few nodes in the social behavior network, including cell populations that produce isotocin. J. Comp. Neurol. 525:252-270, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A Mangiamele
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Julia R Gomez
- Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA
| | - Nancy J Curtis
- Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA
| | - Richmond R Thompson
- Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA.,Department of Psychology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA
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Kriengwatana B, Spierings MJ, ten Cate C. Auditory discrimination learning in zebra finches: effects of sex, early life conditions and stimulus characteristics. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Gall MD, Wilczynski W. Hearing conspecific vocal signals alters peripheral auditory sensitivity. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:20150749. [PMID: 25972471 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated whether hearing advertisement calls over several nights, as happens in natural frog choruses, modified the responses of the peripheral auditory system in the green treefrog, Hyla cinerea. Using auditory evoked potentials (AEP), we found that exposure to 10 nights of a simulated male chorus lowered auditory thresholds in males and females, while exposure to random tones had no effect in males, but did result in lower thresholds in females. The threshold change was larger at the lower frequencies stimulating the amphibian papilla than at higher frequencies stimulating the basilar papilla. Suprathreshold responses to tonal stimuli were assessed for two peaks in the AEP recordings. For the peak P1 (assessed for 0.8-1.25 kHz), peak amplitude increased following chorus exposure. For peak P2 (assessed for 2-4 kHz), peak amplitude decreased at frequencies between 2.5 and 4.0 kHz, but remained unaltered at 2.0 kHz. Our results show for the first time, to our knowledge, that hearing dynamic social stimuli, like frog choruses, can alter the responses of the auditory periphery in a way that could enhance the detection of and response to conspecific acoustic communication signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan D Gall
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
| | - Walter Wilczynski
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Neuroanatomical Evidence for Catecholamines as Modulators of Audition and Acoustic Behavior in a Vocal Teleost. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 877:439-75. [PMID: 26515325 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-21059-9_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) is a well-studied model to understand the neural and endocrine mechanisms underlying vocal-acoustic communication across vertebrates. It is well established that steroid hormones such as estrogen drive seasonal peripheral auditory plasticity in female Porichthys in order to better encode the male's advertisement call. However, little is known of the neural substrates that underlie the motivation and coordinated behavioral response to auditory social signals. Catecholamines, which include dopamine and noradrenaline, are good candidates for this function, as they are thought to modulate the salience of and reinforce appropriate behavior to socially relevant stimuli. This chapter summarizes our recent studies which aimed to characterize catecholamine innervation in the central and peripheral auditory system of Porichthys as well as test the hypotheses that innervation of the auditory system is seasonally plastic and catecholaminergic neurons are activated in response to conspecific vocalizations. Of particular significance is the discovery of direct dopaminergic innervation of the saccule, the main hearing end organ, by neurons in the diencephalon, which also robustly innervate the cholinergic auditory efferent nucleus in the hindbrain. Seasonal changes in dopamine innervation in both these areas appear dependent on reproductive state in females and may ultimately function to modulate the sensitivity of the peripheral auditory system as an adaptation to the seasonally changing soundscape. Diencephalic dopaminergic neurons are indeed active in response to exposure to midshipman vocalizations and are in a perfect position to integrate the detection and appropriate motor response to conspecific acoustic signals for successful reproduction.
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Giret N, Menardy F, Del Negro C. Sex differences in the representation of call stimuli in a songbird secondary auditory area. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:290. [PMID: 26578918 PMCID: PMC4623205 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how communication sounds are encoded in the central auditory system is critical to deciphering the neural bases of acoustic communication. Songbirds use learned or unlearned vocalizations in a variety of social interactions. They have telencephalic auditory areas specialized for processing natural sounds and considered as playing a critical role in the discrimination of behaviorally relevant vocal sounds. The zebra finch, a highly social songbird species, forms lifelong pair bonds. Only male zebra finches sing. However, both sexes produce the distance call when placed in visual isolation. This call is sexually dimorphic, is learned only in males and provides support for individual recognition in both sexes. Here, we assessed whether auditory processing of distance calls differs between paired males and females by recording spiking activity in a secondary auditory area, the caudolateral mesopallium (CLM), while presenting the distance calls of a variety of individuals, including the bird itself, the mate, familiar and unfamiliar males and females. In males, the CLM is potentially involved in auditory feedback processing important for vocal learning. Based on both the analyses of spike rates and temporal aspects of discharges, our results clearly indicate that call-evoked responses of CLM neurons are sexually dimorphic, being stronger, lasting longer, and conveying more information about calls in males than in females. In addition, how auditory responses vary among call types differ between sexes. In females, response strength differs between familiar male and female calls. In males, temporal features of responses reveal a sensitivity to the bird's own call. These findings provide evidence that sexual dimorphism occurs in higher-order processing areas within the auditory system. They suggest a sexual dimorphism in the function of the CLM, contributing to transmit information about the self-generated calls in males and to storage of information about the bird's auditory experience in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Giret
- Department Cognition and Behaviors, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9197, Paris-Sud University Orsay, France
| | - Fabien Menardy
- Department Cognition and Behaviors, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9197, Paris-Sud University Orsay, France
| | - Catherine Del Negro
- Department Cognition and Behaviors, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 9197, Paris-Sud University Orsay, France
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Ward JL, Love EK, Baugh AT, Gordon NM, Tanner JC, Bee MA. Progesterone and prostaglandin F2α induce species-typical female preferences for male sexual displays in Cope's gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis). Physiol Behav 2015; 152:280-7. [PMID: 26454212 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Revised: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine systems play critical roles in facilitating sexual behavior in seasonally breeding vertebrates. Much of the research exploring this topic has focused on the endocrine correlates of signaling behavior in males and sexual proceptivity in females. What is less understood is how hormones promote the expression of the often complex and highly selective set of stimulus-response behaviors that are observed in naturally breeding animals. In female frogs, phonotaxis is a robust and sensitive bioassay of mate choice and is exhibited by gravid females during the breeding season. In stark contrast, females exhibit low phonotactic responsiveness outside the breeding season, but the administration of hormones can induce sexual proceptivity. Here we test the hypothesis that manipulation of a minimal set of reproductive hormones-progesterone and prostaglandin F2α-are capable of evoking not only proceptive behavior in non-breeding females, but also the patterns of intraspecific selectivity for male sexual displays observed in gravid females tested during the breeding season. Specifically, we investigated whether preferences for faster call rates, longer call durations, and higher call efforts were similar between breeding and hormone-treated females of Cope's gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis). Hormone injections induced patterns of selective phonotaxis in non-breeding females that were remarkably similar to those observed in breeding females. These results suggest that there may be an important contribution of hormonal pleiotropy in regulating this complex, acoustically-guided sexual behavior. Our findings also support the idea that hormonal induction could be used to evaluate hypotheses about selective mate choice, and its underlying mechanisms, using non-breeding females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Ward
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Elliot K Love
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | | | - Noah M Gordon
- Department of Biology, University of Evansville, Evansville, IN, USA
| | - Jessie C Tanner
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Mark A Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
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Chakraborty M, Burmeister SS. Effects of estradiol on neural responses to social signals in female túngara frogs. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 218:3671-7. [PMID: 26449971 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.127738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Estradiol plays an important role in mediating changes in female sexual behavior across reproductive cycles. In the túngara frog [Physalaemus (=Engystomops) pustulosus], the relationship between gonadal activity and female sexual behavior, as expressed by phonotaxis, is mediated primarily by estradiol. Estradiol receptors are expressed in auditory and motivational brain areas and the hormone could serve as an important modulator of neural responses to conspecific calls. To better understand how estradiol modifies neural responses to conspecific social signals, we manipulated estradiol levels and measured expression of the immediate early gene egr-1 in the auditory midbrain, thalamus and limbic forebrain in response to conspecific or heterospecific calls. We found that estradiol and conspecific calls increased egr-1 expression in the auditory midbrain and limbic forebrain, but in the thalamus, only conspecific calls were effective. In the preoptic area, estradiol enhanced the effect of the conspecific call on egr-1 expression, suggesting that the preoptic area could act as a hormonal gatekeeper to phonotaxis. Overall, the results suggest that estradiol has broad influences on the neural circuit involved in female reproduction, particularly those implicated in phonotaxis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukta Chakraborty
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Sabrina S Burmeister
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA Curriculum in Neurobiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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Bailey DJ, Saldanha CJ. The importance of neural aromatization in the acquisition, recall, and integration of song and spatial memories in passerines. Horm Behav 2015; 74:116-24. [PMID: 26122300 PMCID: PMC9366902 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Revised: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Estradiol and cognition". In addition to their well-studied and crucial effects on brain development and aging, an increasing number of investigations across vertebrate species indicate that estrogens like 17β-estradiol (E2) have pronounced and rapid effects on cognitive function. The incidence and regulation of the E2-synthesizing enzyme aromatase at the synapse in regions of the brain responsible for learning, memory, social communication and other complex cognitive processes suggest that local E2 production and action affect the acute and chronic activity of individual neurons and circuits. Songbirds in particular are excellent models for the study of this "synaptocrine" hormone provision given that aromatase is abundantly expressed in neuronal soma, dendrites, and at the synapse across many brain regions in both sexes. Additionally, songbirds readily acquire and recall memories in laboratory settings, and their stereotyped behaviors may be manipulated and measured with relative ease. This leads to a rather unparalleled advantage in the use of these animals in studies of the role of neural aromatization in cognition. In this review we describe the results of a number of experiments in songbird species with a focus on the influence of synaptic E2 provision on two cognitive processes: auditory discrimination reliant on the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), a telencephalic region likely homologous to the auditory cortex in mammals, and spatial memory dependent on the hippocampus. Data from these studies are providing evidence that the local and acute provision of E2 modulates the hormonal, electrical, and cognitive outputs of the vertebrate brain and aids in memory acquisition, retention, and perhaps the confluence of memory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Bailey
- Biology, St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI 54115, United States.
| | - Colin J Saldanha
- Department of Biology, American University, Washington, DC 20016, United States; Department of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC 20016, United States.
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Krentzel AA, Remage-Healey L. Sex differences and rapid estrogen signaling: A look at songbird audition. Front Neuroendocrinol 2015; 38:37-49. [PMID: 25637753 PMCID: PMC4484764 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2015.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 01/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/17/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The actions of estrogens have been associated with brain differentiation and sexual dimorphism in a wide range of vertebrates. Here we consider the actions of brain-derived 'neuroestrogens' in the forebrain and the accompanying differences and similarities observed between males and females in a variety of species. We summarize recent evidence showing that baseline and fluctuating levels of neuroestrogens within the auditory forebrain of male and female zebra finches are largely similar, and that neuroestrogens enhance auditory representations in both sexes. With a comparative perspective we review evidence that non-genomic mechanisms of neuroestrogen actions are sexually differentiated, and we propose a working model for nonclassical estrogen signaling via the MAPK intracellular signaling cascade in the songbird auditory forebrain that is informed by the way sex differences may be compensated. This view may lead to a more comprehensive understanding of how sex influences estradiol-dependent modulation of sensorimotor representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda A Krentzel
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| | - Luke Remage-Healey
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, United States.
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42
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Seasonal plasticity in auditory processing of the envelope and temporal fine structure of sounds in three songbirds. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.01.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Forlano PM, Ghahramani ZN, Monestime CM, Kurochkin P, Chernenko A, Milkis D. Catecholaminergic innervation of central and peripheral auditory circuitry varies with reproductive state in female midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0121914. [PMID: 25849450 PMCID: PMC4388377 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 02/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In seasonal breeding vertebrates, hormone regulation of catecholamines, which include dopamine and noradrenaline, may function, in part, to modulate behavioral responses to conspecific vocalizations. However, natural seasonal changes in catecholamine innervation of auditory nuclei is largely unexplored, especially in the peripheral auditory system, where encoding of social acoustic stimuli is initiated. The plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, has proven to be an excellent model to explore mechanisms underlying seasonal peripheral auditory plasticity related to reproductive social behavior. Recently, we demonstrated robust catecholaminergic (CA) innervation throughout the auditory system in midshipman. Most notably, dopaminergic neurons in the diencephalon have widespread projections to auditory circuitry including direct innervation of the saccule, the main endorgan of hearing, and the cholinergic octavolateralis efferent nucleus (OE) which also projects to the inner ear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that gravid, reproductive summer females show differential CA innervation of the auditory system compared to non-reproductive winter females. We utilized quantitative immunofluorescence to measure tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (TH-ir) fiber density throughout central auditory nuclei and the sensory epithelium of the saccule. Reproductive females exhibited greater density of TH-ir innervation in two forebrain areas including the auditory thalamus and greater density of TH-ir on somata and dendrites of the OE. In contrast, non-reproductive females had greater numbers of TH-ir terminals in the saccule and greater TH-ir fiber density in a region of the auditory hindbrain as well as greater numbers of TH-ir neurons in the preoptic area. These data provide evidence that catecholamines may function, in part, to seasonally modulate the sensitivity of the inner ear and, in turn, the appropriate behavioral response to reproductive acoustic signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M. Forlano
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, United States of America
- Program in Neuroscience, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States of America
- Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States of America
- Program in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States of America
- Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Zachary N. Ghahramani
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, United States of America
- Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Camillia M. Monestime
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, United States of America
| | - Philip Kurochkin
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, United States of America
| | - Alena Chernenko
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, United States of America
| | - Dmitriy Milkis
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, United States of America
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Monbureau M, Barker JM, Leboucher G, Balthazart J. Male song quality modulates c-Fos expression in the auditory forebrain of the female canary. Physiol Behav 2015; 147:7-15. [PMID: 25846435 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Revised: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 04/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In canaries, specific phrases of male song (sexy songs, SS) that are difficult to produce are especially attractive for females. Females exposed to SS produce more copulation displays and deposit more testosterone into their eggs than females exposed to non-sexy songs (NS). Increased expression of the immediate early genes c-Fos or zenk (a.k.a. egr-1) has been observed in the auditory forebrain of female songbirds hearing attractive songs. C-Fos immunoreactive (Fos-ir) cell numbers were quantified here in the brain of female canaries that had been collected 30min after they had been exposed for 60min to the playback of SS or NS or control white noise. Fos-ir cell numbers increased in the caudomedial mesopallium (CMM) and caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) of SS birds as compared to controls. Song playback (pooled SS and NS) also tended to increase average Fos-ir cell numbers in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) but this effect did not reach full statistical significance. At the individual level, Fos expression in CMM was correlated with its expression in NCM and in MBH but also with the frequency of calls that females produced in response to the playbacks. These data thus indicate that male songs of different qualities induce a differential metabolic activation of NCM and CMM. The correlation between activation of auditory regions and of the MBH might reflect the link between auditory stimulation and changes in behavior and reproductive physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Monbureau
- University of Paris West Nanterre La Défense, Laboratory of Ethology, Cognition and Development (EA 3456), Nanterre, France
| | - Jennifer M Barker
- University of Liège, GIGA Neurosciences, Research group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Liège, Belgium
| | - Gérard Leboucher
- University of Paris West Nanterre La Défense, Laboratory of Ethology, Cognition and Development (EA 3456), Nanterre, France
| | - Jacques Balthazart
- University of Liège, GIGA Neurosciences, Research group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Liège, Belgium.
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Forlano PM, Sisneros JA, Rohmann KN, Bass AH. Neuroendocrine control of seasonal plasticity in the auditory and vocal systems of fish. Front Neuroendocrinol 2015; 37:129-45. [PMID: 25168757 PMCID: PMC4342331 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2014] [Revised: 08/09/2014] [Accepted: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal changes in reproductive-related vocal behavior are widespread among fishes. This review highlights recent studies of the vocal plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, a neuroethological model system used for the past two decades to explore neural and endocrine mechanisms of vocal-acoustic social behaviors shared with tetrapods. Integrative approaches combining behavior, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neuroanatomy, and gene expression methodologies have taken advantage of simple, stereotyped and easily quantifiable behaviors controlled by discrete neural networks in this model system to enable discoveries such as the first demonstration of adaptive seasonal plasticity in the auditory periphery of a vertebrate as well as rapid steroid and neuropeptide effects on vocal physiology and behavior. This simple model system has now revealed cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying seasonal and steroid-driven auditory and vocal plasticity in the vertebrate brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M Forlano
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11210, United States; Programs in Neuroscience, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, and Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, United States; Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY 11210, United States.
| | - Joseph A Sisneros
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States; Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States; Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center, Seattle, WA 98195, United States
| | - Kevin N Rohmann
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States
| | - Andrew H Bass
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States; Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California, Bodega Bay, CA, 94923, United States
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Bolhuis JJ, Moorman S. Birdsong memory and the brain: In search of the template. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 50:41-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Revised: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Pawlisch BA, Remage-Healey L. Neuroestrogen signaling in the songbird auditory cortex propagates into a sensorimotor network via an 'interface' nucleus. Neuroscience 2014; 284:522-535. [PMID: 25453773 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2014] [Revised: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Neuromodulators rapidly alter activity of neural circuits and can therefore shape higher order functions, such as sensorimotor integration. Increasing evidence suggests that brain-derived estrogens, such as 17-β-estradiol, can act rapidly to modulate sensory processing. However, less is known about how rapid estrogen signaling can impact downstream circuits. Past studies have demonstrated that estradiol levels increase within the songbird auditory cortex (the caudomedial nidopallium, NCM) during social interactions. Local estradiol signaling enhances the auditory-evoked firing rate of neurons in NCM to a variety of stimuli, while also enhancing the selectivity of auditory-evoked responses of neurons in a downstream sensorimotor brain region, HVC (proper name). Since these two brain regions are not directly connected, we employed dual extracellular recordings in HVC and the upstream nucleus interfacialis of the nidopallium (NIf) during manipulations of estradiol within NCM to better understand the pathway by which estradiol signaling propagates to downstream circuits. NIf has direct input into HVC, passing auditory information into the vocal motor output pathway, and is a possible source of the neural selectivity within HVC. Here, during acute estradiol administration in NCM, NIf neurons showed increases in baseline firing rates and auditory-evoked firing rates to all stimuli. Furthermore, when estradiol synthesis was blocked in NCM, we observed simultaneous decreases in the selectivity of NIf and HVC neurons. These effects were not due to direct estradiol actions because NIf has little to no capability for local estrogen synthesis or estrogen receptors, and these effects were specific to NIf because other neurons immediately surrounding NIf did not show these changes. Our results demonstrate that transsynaptic, rapid fluctuations in neuroestrogens are transmitted into NIf and subsequently HVC, both regions important for sensorimotor integration. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that acute neurosteroid actions can propagate within and between neural circuits to modulate their functional connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- B A Pawlisch
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, United States.
| | - L Remage-Healey
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, United States
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48
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Yoder KM, Phan ML, Lu K, Vicario DS. He hears, she hears: are there sex differences in auditory processing? Dev Neurobiol 2014; 75:302-14. [PMID: 25220950 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Revised: 08/20/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Songbirds learn individually unique songs through vocal imitation and use them in courtship and territorial displays. Previous work has identified a forebrain auditory area, the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), that appears specialized for discriminating and remembering conspecific vocalizations. In zebra finches (ZFs), only males produce learned vocalizations, but both sexes process these and other signals. This study assessed sex differences in auditory processing by recording extracellular multiunit activity at multiple sites within NCM. Juvenile female ZFs (n = 46) were reared in individual isolation and artificially tutored with song. In adulthood, songs were played back to assess auditory responses, stimulus-specific adaptation, neural bias for conspecific song, and memory for the tutor's song, as well as recently heard songs. In a subset of females (n = 36), estradiol (E2) levels were manipulated to test the contribution of E2, known to be synthesized in the brain, to auditory responses. Untreated females (n = 10) showed significant differences in response magnitude and stimulus-specific adaptation compared to males reared in the same paradigm (n = 9). In hormone-manipulated females, E2 augmentation facilitated the memory for recently heard songs in adulthood, but neither E2 augmentation (n = 15) nor E2 synthesis blockade (n = 9) affected tutor song memory or the neural bias for conspecific song. The results demonstrate subtle sex differences in processing communication signals, and show that E2 levels in female songbirds can affect the memory for songs of potential suitors, thus contributing to the process of mate selection. The results also have potential relevance to clinical interventions that manipulate E2 in human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen M Yoder
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, 21218
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Asaba A, Hattori T, Mogi K, Kikusui T. Sexual attractiveness of male chemicals and vocalizations in mice. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:231. [PMID: 25140125 PMCID: PMC4122165 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Male-female interaction is important for finding a suitable mating partner and for ensuring reproductive success. Male sexual signals such as pheromones transmit information and social and sexual status to females, and exert powerful effects on the mate preference and reproductive biology of females. Likewise, male vocalizations are attractive to females and enhance reproductive function in many animals. Interestingly, females' preference for male pheromones and vocalizations is associated with their genetic background, to avoid inbreeding. Moreover, based on acoustic cues, olfactory signals have significant effects on mate choice in mice, suggesting mate choice involves multisensory integration. In this review, we synopsize the effects of both olfactory and auditory cues on female behavior and neuroendocrine functions. We also discuss how these male signals are integrated and processed in the brain to regulate behavior and reproductive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akari Asaba
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Hattori
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Mogi
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takefumi Kikusui
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University Kanagawa, Japan
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Remage-Healey L. Frank Beach Award Winner: Steroids as neuromodulators of brain circuits and behavior. Horm Behav 2014; 66:552-60. [PMID: 25110187 PMCID: PMC4180446 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2014] [Revised: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 07/31/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Neurons communicate primarily via action potentials that transmit information on the timescale of milliseconds. Neurons also integrate information via alterations in gene transcription and protein translation that are sustained for hours to days after initiation. Positioned between these two signaling timescales are the minute-by-minute actions of neuromodulators. Over the course of minutes, the classical neuromodulators (such as serotonin, dopamine, octopamine, and norepinephrine) can alter and/or stabilize neural circuit patterning as well as behavioral states. Neuromodulators allow many flexible outputs from neural circuits and can encode information content into the firing state of neural networks. The idea that steroid molecules can operate as genuine behavioral neuromodulators - synthesized by and acting within brain circuits on a minute-by-minute timescale - has gained traction in recent years. Evidence for brain steroid synthesis at synaptic terminals has converged with evidence for the rapid actions of brain-derived steroids on neural circuits and behavior. The general principle emerging from this work is that the production of steroid hormones within brain circuits can alter their functional connectivity and shift sensory representations by enhancing their information coding. Steroids produced in the brain can therefore change the information content of neuronal networks to rapidly modulate sensory experience and sensorimotor functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Remage-Healey
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 01003, USA.
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