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Cited by 34Animal Vocal Communication and BehaviorNeuroendocrine regulation and behaviorNeuroscience and Music Perception

Testosterone decreases the potential for song plasticity in adult male zebra finches

Williams, H·2003·Hormones and Behavior
DOI 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2003.06.005
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Abstract

Zebra finches are age-limited learners; males crystallize their songs at 90 days and do not subsequently alter those songs. However, a variety of interventions, including deafening and syringeal denervation, result in long-term changes to the crystallized song. These changes can be prevented by lesioning nucleus LMAN. As different social contexts for song production result in differential activation of LMAN, we asked whether the social context experienced by adult males would affect their ability to alter their songs in response to syringeal denervation. Males able to see and direct their songs to females made fewer changes to their songs than did males that could hear but not see females, but this trend was not significant. The volume of a male's HVc, a forebrain song control nucleus, also failed to predict the degree to which a male would change his song. However, testis mass was significantly correlated with the number of changes made to the song, indicating that variations in testosterone modulate adult song plasticity. We directly tested the effect of circulating testosterone on adult song plasticity by implanting adult males with either testosterone or flutamide, a testosterone receptor blocker, and tracking song changes triggered by ts nerve injury. As predicted, males implanted with testosterone changed their songs less than did males that received flutamide implants. These results suggest that the high testosterone concentrations associated with sexual maturity and song crystallization in zebra finches continue to act in adult males to reduce the potential for vocal plasticity.

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Authors
Williams, H.
Affiliations
Williams College (US)
Corresponding author
Williams, H
ORCID
Williams, H
Venue
Hormones and Behavior
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2003-12
Volume
44
Issue
5
Pages
402-412
ISSN
0018-506X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.yhbeh.2003.06.005
OpenAlex
W2167399564
Cited by
34
References
70
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 5 · 2012: 4
FWCI
1.33
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Hormones and Behavior (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
  • Williams College
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology › Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
Keywords
testosterone, song plasticity, zebra finch, testis mass, flutamide, song control nuclei, vocal plasticity, sexual maturity, social environment
MeSH terms
Animals, Denervation, Female, Gender Identity, Learning, Male, Neuronal Plasticity, Testosterone, Vocal Cords, Vocalization, Animal, Songbirds

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