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Antonson ND, Enos JK, Lawson SL, Uy FMK, Gill SA, Lynch KS, Hauber ME. Functional neurogenomic responses to acoustic threats, including a heterospecific referential alarm call and its referent, in the auditory forebrain of red-winged blackbirds. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2155. [PMID: 38272959 PMCID: PMC10810909 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51797-y] [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: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
In animal communication, functionally referential alarm calls elicit the same behavioral responses as their referents, despite their typically distinct bioacoustic traits. Yet the auditory forebrain in at least one songbird species, the black-capped chickadee Poecile atricapillus, responds similarly to threat calls and their referent predatory owl calls, as assessed by immediate early gene responses in the secondary auditory forebrain nuclei. Whether and where in the brain such perceptual and cognitive equivalence is processed remains to be understood in most other avian systems. Here, we studied the functional neurogenomic (non-) equivalence of acoustic threat stimuli perception by the red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus in response to the actual calls of the obligate brood parasitic brown-headed cowbird Molothrus ater and the referential anti-parasitic alarm calls of the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia, upon which the blackbird is known to eavesdrop. Using RNA-sequencing from neural tissue in the auditory lobule (primary and secondary auditory nuclei combined), in contrast to previous findings, we found significant differences in the gene expression profiles of both an immediate early gene, ZENK (egr-1), and other song-system relevant gene-products in blackbirds responding to cowbird vs. warbler calls. In turn, direct cues of threats (including conspecific intruder calls and nest-predator calls) elicited higher ZENK and other differential gene expression patterns compared to harmless heterospecific calls. These patterns are consistent with a perceptual non-equivalence in the auditory forebrain of adult male red-winged blackbirds in response to referential calls and the calls of their referents.
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Affiliation(s)
- N D Antonson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - J K Enos
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - S L Lawson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - F M K Uy
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - S A Gill
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
| | - K S Lynch
- Department of Biology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - M E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA.
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA.
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA.
- Advanced Science Research Center and Program in Psychology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
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2
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Bálint A, Szabó Á, Andics A, Gácsi M. Dog and human neural sensitivity to voicelikeness: A comparative fMRI study. Neuroimage 2023; 265:119791. [PMID: 36476565 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Voice-sensitivity in the auditory cortex of a range of mammals has been proposed to be determined primarily by tuning to conspecific auditory stimuli, but recent human findings indicate a role for a more general tuning to voicelikeness. Vocal emotional valence, a central characteristic of vocalisations, has been linked to the same basic acoustic parameters across species. Comparative neuroimaging revealed that during voice perception, such acoustic parameters modulate emotional valence-sensitivity in auditory cortical regions in both family dogs and humans. To explore the role of voicelikeness in auditory emotional valence-sensitivity across species, here we constructed artificial emotional sounds in two sound categories: voice-like vs. sine-wave sounds, parametrically modulating two main acoustic parameters, f0 and call length. We hypothesised that if mammalian auditory systems are characterised by a general tuning to voicelikeness, voice-like sounds will be processed preferentially, and acoustic parameters for voice-like sounds will be processed differently than for sine-wave sounds - both in dogs and humans. We found cortical areas in both species that responded stronger to voice-like than to sine-wave stimuli, while there were no regions responding stronger to sine-wave sounds in either species. Additionally, we found that in bilateral primary and emotional valence-sensitive auditory regions of both species, the processing of voice-like and sine-wave sounds are modulated by f0 in opposite ways. These results reveal functional similarities between evolutionarily distant mammals for processing voicelikeness and its effect on processing basic acoustic cues of vocal emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bálint
- ELKH-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary.
| | - Ádám Szabó
- Department of Neuroradiology at the Medical Imaging Centre of the Semmelweis University, H-1082 Budapest, Üllői út 78a, Hungary
| | - Attila Andics
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary; MTA-ELTE 'Lendület' Neuroethology of Communication Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences - Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary; ELTE NAP Canine Brain Research Group, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary
| | - Márta Gácsi
- ELKH-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary; Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Hungary
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3
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Song learning and plasticity in songbirds. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 67:228-239. [PMID: 33667874 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Birdsong provides a fascinating system to study both behavioral and neural plasticity. Oscine songbirds learn to sing, exhibiting behavioral plasticity both during and after the song-learning process. As a bird learns, its song progresses from a plastic and highly variable vocalization into a more stereotyped, crystallized song. However, even after crystallization, song plasticity can occur: some species' songs become more stereotyped over time, whereas other species can incorporate new song elements. Alongside the changes in song, songbirds' brains are also plastic. Both song and neural connections change with the seasons in many species, and new neurons can be added to the song system throughout life. In this review, we highlight important research on behavioral and neural plasticity at multiple timescales, from song development in juveniles to lifelong modifications of learned song.
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4
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Differential immediate early gene activity revealed by playback of male and female incomplete chick-a-dee calls. Behav Brain Res 2020; 393:112775. [PMID: 32565165 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In both humans and animals, biological differences between males and females has long been a topic of research. In songbirds, sexual dimorphisms can be seen in many species' plumage and heard in some species' songs. However, not all songbirds have such overt phenotypic sexual differences, leading to the question: are all vocalizations dimorphic? One of the most used and versatile vocalizations of the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is their namesake chick-a-dee call, that is produced by both sexes. This call is composed of four note types: A, B, C (together chick-a), and D (dee). Previous research has found that A notes contain information regarding the sex of the caller. However, chickadees do not categorize full chick-a-dee calls, or altered chick-a calls, based on the sex of the caller. Here we presented both male and female chickadees with altered chick-a calls (dee portion removed) of both sexes and measured the number of ZENK labeled cells in auditory nuclei. We found that calls produced by males and females had more ZENK labeled cells than the control condition; however, there was no significant difference in ZENK labeled cells between male and female listeners. Overall, our results suggest that black-capped chickadees do not perceive sexual differences in the production of chick-a calls.
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Neuroestrogen synthesis modifies neural representations of learned song without altering vocal imitation in developing songbirds. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3602. [PMID: 32108169 PMCID: PMC7046723 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60329-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Birdsong learning, like human speech, depends on the early memorization of auditory models, yet how initial auditory experiences are formed and consolidated is unclear. In songbirds, a putative cortical locus is the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), and one mechanism to facilitate auditory consolidation is 17β-estradiol (E2), which is associated with human speech-language development, and is abundant in both NCM and human temporal cortex. Circulating and NCM E2 levels are dynamic during learning, suggesting E2’s involvement in encoding recent auditory experiences. Therefore, we tested this hypothesis in juvenile male songbirds using a comprehensive assessment of neuroanatomy, behavior, and neurophysiology. First, we found that brain aromatase expression, and thus the capacity to synthesize neuroestrogens, remains high in the auditory cortex throughout development. Further, while systemic estrogen synthesis blockade suppressed juvenile song production, neither systemic nor unilateral E2 synthesis inhibition in NCM disrupted eventual song imitation. Surprisingly, early life neuroestrogen synthesis blockade in NCM enhanced the neural representations of both the birds’ own song and the tutor song in NCM and a downstream sensorimotor region, HVC, respectively. Taken together, these findings indicate that E2 plays a multifaceted role during development, and that, contrary to prediction, tutor song memorization is unimpaired by unilateral estrogen synthesis blockade in the auditory cortex.
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Scully EN, Sanchez JM, Sturdy CB. Abcam Monoclonal Egr-1 ab133695 is an effective primary antibody replacement for Santa Cruz sc-189 polyclonal Egr-1 in songbirds. Heliyon 2019; 5:e02938. [PMID: 31844776 PMCID: PMC6895667 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The immediate early gene ZENK (acronym zif268, Egr-1, NGFI-A, krox24) has been used extensively in songbird research (Mello et al., 1992; Jarvis and Nottebohm, 1997), as well as other research areas. ZENK has been used in assessing learning and memory, measuring neural activation, and identifying the cellular and molecular substrates involved in the first stages of memory formation (Watson and Clements, 1980). Previous songbird research has found that neurons located within the areas involved in auditory perception, namely the caudomedial nidopallium and caudomedial mesopallium, exhibit high levels of ZENK protein expression in response to conspecific songs and calls (Mello and Ribeiro, 1998; Avey et al., 2011). New method In large part due to its neuronal-specific labeling of ZENK protein, Santa Cruz Egr-1 sc-189 has been widely accepted as the standard primary antibody in songbird research. However, Santa Cruz Biotechnology Egr-1 no longer specifically labels and has also discontinued production of Egr-1 sc-189. Thus, the current study is focused on analyzing the effectiveness of alternative primary antibodies: Abcam polyclonal c-Fos, Abcam monoclonal ab133695 Egr-1, and Proteintech polyclonal Egr-1. Results Abcam monoclonal Egr-1 was successful in specifically labeling ZENK positive cells in the songbird auditory nuclei. Abcam polyclonal c-Fos and Proteintech polyclonal Egr-1 were found to have non-specific labeling. Comparison with existing methods Abcam monoclonal Egr-1 ab133695 was found to produce differential and specific labeling in the targeted auditory nuclei similar to previous studies successfully using Santa Cruz polyclonal Egr-1 (i.e. Mello and Ribeiro, 1998). Conclusions Abcam monoclonal Egr-1 effectively labels ZENK in the songbird auditory nuclei, making it a suitable primary antibody replacement for Santa Cruz polyclonal Egr-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin N Scully
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Christopher B Sturdy
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Canada
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Louder MIM, Lawson S, Lynch KS, Balakrishnan CN, Hauber ME. Neural mechanisms of auditory species recognition in birds. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1619-1635. [PMID: 31066222 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Auditory communication in humans and other animals frequently takes place in noisy environments with many co-occurring signallers. Receivers are thus challenged to rapidly recognize salient auditory signals and filter out irrelevant sounds. Most bird species produce a variety of complex vocalizations that function to communicate with other members of their own species and behavioural evidence broadly supports preferences for conspecific over heterospecific sounds (auditory species recognition). However, it remains unclear whether such auditory signals are categorically recognized by the sensory and central nervous system. Here, we review 53 published studies that compare avian neural responses between conspecific versus heterospecific vocalizations. Irrespective of the techniques used to characterize neural activity, distinct nuclei of the auditory forebrain are consistently shown to be repeatedly conspecific selective across taxa, even in response to unfamiliar individuals with distinct acoustic properties. Yet, species-specific neural discrimination is not a stereotyped auditory response, but is modulated according to its salience depending, for example, on ontogenetic exposure to conspecific versus heterospecific stimuli. Neuromodulators, in particular norepinephrine, may mediate species recognition by regulating the accuracy of neuronal coding for salient conspecific stimuli. Our review lends strong support for neural structures that categorically recognize conspecific signals despite the highly variable physical properties of the stimulus. The available data are in support of a 'perceptual filter'-based mechanism to determine the saliency of the signal, in that species identity and social experience combine to influence the neural processing of species-specific auditory stimuli. Finally, we present hypotheses and their testable predictions, to propose next steps in species-recognition research into the emerging model of the neural conceptual construct in avian auditory recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew I M Louder
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A
| | - Shelby Lawson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A
| | - Kathleen S Lynch
- Department of Biology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11759, U.S.A
| | | | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, U.S.A
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8
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Neural processes of vocal social perception: Dog-human comparative fMRI studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 85:54-64. [PMID: 29287629 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In this review we focus on the exciting new opportunities in comparative neuroscience to study neural processes of vocal social perception by comparing dog and human neural activity using fMRI methods. The dog is a relatively new addition to this research area; however, it has a large potential to become a standard species in such investigations. Although there has been great interest in the emergence of human language abilities, in case of fMRI methods, most research to date focused on homologue comparisons within Primates. By belonging to a very different clade of mammalian evolution, dogs could give such research agendas a more general mammalian foundation. In addition, broadening the scope of investigations into vocal communication in general can also deepen our understanding of human vocal skills. Being selected for and living in an anthropogenic environment, research with dogs may also be informative about the way in which human non-linguistic and linguistic signals are represented in a mammalian brain without skills for language production.
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9
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Scully EN, Schuldhaus BC, Congdon JV, Hahn AH, Campbell KA, Wilson DR, Sturdy CB. ZENK expression in the auditory pathway of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) as a function of D note number and duty cycle of chick-a-dee calls. Behav Brain Res 2019; 356:490-494. [PMID: 29890201 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) use their namesake chick-a-dee call for multiple functions, altering the features of the call depending on context. For example, duty cycle (the proportion of time filled by vocalizations) and fine structure traits (e.g., number of D notes) can encode contextual factors, such as predator size and food quality. Wilson and Mennill (2011) found that chickadees show stronger behavioral responses to playback of chick-a-dee calls with higher duty cycles, but not to the number of D notes. That is, independent of the number of D notes in a call, but dependent on the overall proportion of time filled with vocalization, birds responded more to higher duty cycle playback compared to lower duty cycle playback. Here we presented chickadees with chick-a-dee calls that contained either two D (referred to hereafter as 2 D) notes with a low duty cycle, 2 D notes with a high duty cycle, 10 D notes with a high duty cycle, or 2 D notes with a high duty cycle but played in reverse (a non-signaling control). We then measured ZENK expression in the auditory nuclei where perceptual discrimination is thought to occur. Based on the behavioral results of Wilson and Mennill, 2011, we predicted we would observe the highest ZENK expression in response to forward-playing calls with high duty cycles; we predicted we would observe no significant difference in ZENK expression between forward-playing high duty cycle playbacks (2 D or 10 D). We found no significant difference between forward-playing 2 D and 10 D high duty cycle playbacks. However, contrary to our predictions, we did not find any effects of altering the duty cycle or note number presented.
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10
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Campbell KA, Proppe DS, Congdon JV, Scully EN, Miscler SK, Sturdy CB. The effects of anthropogenic noise on feeding behaviour in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). Behav Processes 2018; 158:53-58. [PMID: 30439475 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise has been shown to impact animal behaviour. Most studies investigating anthropogenic noise, and the detrimental effect it has on behaviour, have been conducted in the field, where a myriad of covariates can make interpretation challenging. In this experiment, we studied the effects of an approximation of anthropogenic noise, simulated with brown noise, on the feeding behaviour of wild-caught black-capped chickadees in a laboratory setting. We measured the amount of time spent eating while subjects heard either conspecific calls, brown noise, or a combination of calls and brown noise. We found that subjects fed more in the silence following playback than during the playback itself for all types of stimuli, suggesting that chickadees may shift their feeding behaviour to avoid feeding during periods of noise. The ability to adapt to changing environments (e.g., varying noise levels) may allow species to thrive in the presence of anthropogenic noise. Our findings outline a laboratory-based method that could be adopted and adapted to examine a variety avian species and of types anthropogenic noise.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Erin N Scully
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Christopher B Sturdy
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Canada; Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Canada.
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Louder MIM, Hauber ME, Balakrishnan CN. Early social experience alters transcriptomic responses to species-specific song stimuli in female songbirds. Behav Brain Res 2018; 347:69-76. [PMID: 29501507 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.02.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Amongst an array of stimuli from countless species, animals must recognize salient signals, including those of their own species. In songbirds, behavioral tests have demonstrated that preferences for conspecific male songs are determined by both preexisting biases and social experience with a male 'tutor' during the sensitive period for learning. Although immediate early gene expression (e.g. ZENK) and electrophysiological experiments generally find greater neural responses for conspecific songs, it remains unclear whether distinct mechanisms, such as sensory gating, are engaged to filter out irrelevant heterospecific songs. Here we compare the transcriptomic profiles, via RNA-seq, of non-singing females of a songbird, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), by focusing on the auditory forebrain, a region known to be critical in the processing of conspecific vs. heterospecific songs. Gene expression profiles demonstrate that different neural mechanisms are involved in the processing of conspecific versus heterospecific Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata) songs. In particular, one gene known to mediate sensory gating, the alpha 3 subunit member of nicotinic cholinergic receptors (CHRNA3), was significantly downregulated in response to hearing Bengalese finch song, but not when young females were tutored by a Bengalese male during early development. Overall, our results confirm previous behavioral and physiological studies, such that heterospecific-tutored individuals processed both conspecific and tutor songs similarly. Using transcriptomic profiling of peripheral blood samples, we also demonstrate the methodological potential of non-terminal sampling to identify transcriptomic biomarkers for conspecific auditory recognition. These results show how experience and inherited preferences facilitate the neural processing of salient songs by female songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew I M Louder
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA; Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA; Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
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12
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Scully EN, Hahn AH, Campbell KA, McMillan N, Congdon JV, Sturdy CB. ZENK expression following conspecific and heterospecific playback in the zebra finch auditory forebrain. Behav Brain Res 2017; 331:151-158. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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13
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Hahn AH, Campbell KA, Congdon JV, Hoang J, McMillan N, Scully EN, Yong JJH, Elie JE, Sturdy CB. Discrimination of acoustically similar conspecific and heterospecific vocalizations by black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). Anim Cogn 2017; 20:639-654. [PMID: 28393311 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1087-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Chickadees produce a multi-note chick-a-dee call in multiple socially relevant contexts. One component of this call is the D note, which is a low-frequency and acoustically complex note with a harmonic-like structure. In the current study, we tested black-capped chickadees on a between-category operant discrimination task using vocalizations with acoustic structures similar to black-capped chickadee D notes, but produced by various songbird species, in order to examine the role that phylogenetic distance plays in acoustic perception of vocal signals. We assessed the extent to which discrimination performance was influenced by the phylogenetic relatedness among the species producing the vocalizations and by the phylogenetic relatedness between the subjects' species (black-capped chickadees) and the vocalizers' species. We also conducted a bioacoustic analysis and discriminant function analysis in order to examine the acoustic similarities among the discrimination stimuli. A previous study has shown that neural activation in black-capped chickadee auditory and perceptual brain regions is similar following the presentation of these vocalization categories. However, we found that chickadees had difficulty discriminating between forward and reversed black-capped chickadee D notes, a result that directly corresponded to the bioacoustic analysis indicating that these stimulus categories were acoustically similar. In addition, our results suggest that the discrimination between vocalizations produced by two parid species (chestnut-backed chickadees and tufted titmice) is perceptually difficult for black-capped chickadees, a finding that is likely in part because these vocalizations contain acoustic similarities. Overall, our results provide evidence that black-capped chickadees' perceptual abilities are influenced by both phylogenetic relatedness and acoustic structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison H Hahn
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Kimberley A Campbell
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jenna V Congdon
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - John Hoang
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Neil McMillan
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Erin N Scully
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Joshua J H Yong
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Julie E Elie
- Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, 3210 Tolman Hall, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Christopher B Sturdy
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, Canada. .,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, 513 Heritage Medical Research Centre, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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14
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15
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Louder MIM, Voss HU, Manna TJ, Carryl SS, London SE, Balakrishnan CN, Hauber ME. Shared neural substrates for song discrimination in parental and parasitic songbirds. Neurosci Lett 2016; 622:49-54. [PMID: 27095589 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.04.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Revised: 04/10/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
In many social animals, early exposure to conspecific stimuli is critical for the development of accurate species recognition. Obligate brood parasitic songbirds, however, forego parental care and young are raised by heterospecific hosts in the absence of conspecific stimuli. Having evolved from non-parasitic, parental ancestors, how brood parasites recognize their own species remains unclear. In parental songbirds (e.g. zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata), the primary and secondary auditory forebrain areas are known to be critical in the differential processing of conspecific vs. heterospecific songs. Here we demonstrate that the same auditory brain regions underlie song discrimination in adult brood parasitic pin-tailed whydahs (Vidua macroura), a close relative of the zebra finch lineage. Similar to zebra finches, whydahs showed stronger behavioral responses during conspecific vs. heterospecific song and tone pips as well as increased neural responses within the auditory forebrain, as measured by both functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and immediate early gene (IEG) expression. Given parallel behavioral and neuroanatomical patterns of song discrimination, our results suggest that the evolutionary transition to brood parasitism from parental songbirds likely involved an "evolutionary tinkering" of existing proximate mechanisms, rather than the wholesale reworking of the neural substrates of species recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew I M Louder
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA; Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, NY, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Henning U Voss
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, NY, NY 10065, USA
| | - Thomas J Manna
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, NY, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sophia S Carryl
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, NY, NY 10065, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, City University of New York, Bronx, NY 10468, USA
| | - Sarah E London
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | | | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, NY, NY 10065, USA
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Vocal production and playback of altered song do not affect ZENK expression in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). Behav Brain Res 2015; 298:91-9. [PMID: 26523856 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.10.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Revised: 10/17/2015] [Accepted: 10/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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 between the start and end of the fee note (the glissando) and between the fee and the bee notes (the inter-note ratio) are preserved regardless of absolute frequency. If these relative frequencies are experimentally manipulated, birds exhibit reduced behavioural responses to playback of altered songs both in field studies and laboratory studies. Interestingly, males appear to be sensitive to alterations in the glissando, while females appear to be sensitive to alterations in both the glissando and the inter-note ratio. In this study, we sought to determine whether the behaviour of male and female chickadees corresponds to differences in zenk protein immunoreactivity (ZENK-ir) in auditory perceptual regions following playback of fee bee songs with typical and altered pitch ratios. Overall, there was a small but significant sex difference in ZENK-ir (females>males), but altering relative frequencies did not reduce ZENK-ir compared to typical song. Birds did vocalize less in response to playback of songs that lacked an inter-note interval, but amount of singing fee bee song, chick-a-dee calls, or gargles was not correlated with ZENK-ir in perceptual regions (caudomedial nidopallium, NCM and caudomedial mesopallium, CMM) or in HVC, which is part of the song system. Our results confirm that ZENK-ir in NCM and CMM is not involved in fine-grain perceptual discrimination, however it did not support the idea that increased vocalizing increases ZENK-ir in HVC.
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17
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Frequency sensitivity in the auditory periphery of male and female black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). ZOOLOGY 2015; 118:357-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2015.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2015] [Revised: 04/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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18
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Hahn AH, Guillette LM, Lee D, McMillan N, Hoang J, Sturdy CB. Experience affects immediate early gene expression in response to conspecific call notes in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus). Behav Brain Res 2015; 287:49-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Revised: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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