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Estrogenic modulation of auditory processing in female songbirds
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Text
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Title
Estrogenic modulation of auditory processing in female songbirds
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ETD_2058
Identifier
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http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.2/rucore10001600001.ETD.000051928
Language
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eng
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theses
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Topic
Psychology
Subject
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(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Auditory perception
Subject
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(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Memory
Subject
(ID = SBJ-4);
(authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Recognition (Psychology)
Abstract
In songbirds, male song is learned and is thought to be sexually selected for as a function of female mate choice. In this view, females must choose a conspecific mate whose song provides an honest signal of his quality. Male zebra finches copy an adult tutor’s song during development, and a memory for this tutor song is stored in the brain auditory processing area NCM. Female zebra finches do not copy, but they do show a behavioral preference in adulthood for the tutor song that they heard during development. Surprisingly, female NCM does not appear to have a memory for the tutor-song like that in males. We hypothesized that the expression of this memory in female NCM can be modulated by gonadal hormones, specifically that physiological estrogen levels in breeding females may influence sexual behavior by inducing changes in NCM that allow the previously formed tutor-song memory to be expressed, enable conspecific sounds to be discriminated from less relevant sounds, and facilitate acquisition of new auditory memories - all processes which may contribute to successful mate choice and reproduction. We tested these hypotheses by rearing females (n=26) in a controlled environment and exposing them to an artificial song-tutor during the sensitive period. In adulthood, we recorded their electrophysiological responses to tutor-song playback during estrogen (n=10), anti-estrogen (n=8) or vehicle (n=8) treatment. We also tested the same animals for conspecific vs. heterospecific song discrimination and the acquisition of memories for recently heard songs. Our results did not show an effect of hormonal manipulations on the expression of the tutor-song memory and thus did not support our primary hypothesis. However, anti-estrogen treatment degraded conspecific song discrimination and the acquisition of a memory for recently heard songs, suggesting that these processes require normal estrogen levels for their expression. Our results are consistent with an important role for estrogen in auditory processing and memory acquisition, consistent with studies in other animal systems. Future work will address the mechanisms by which estrogen modulates these effects.
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electronic resource
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v, 50 p. : ill.
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M.S.
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Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-50)
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by Kathleen Marie Yoder
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Yoder
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Kathleen Marie
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1982-
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author
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Kathleen Marie Yoder
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Vicario
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David
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internal member
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Advisory Committee
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David S Vicario
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(type = family)
Kusnecov
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Alexander
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internal member
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Advisory Committee
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Alexander Kusnecov
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West
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Mark
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internal member
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Advisory Committee
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Mark West
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Rutgers University
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degree grantor
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Graduate School - New Brunswick
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school
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2009
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2009-10
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xx
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Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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ETD
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Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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rucore19991600001
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NjNbRU
Identifier
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doi:10.7282/T3PR7W5J
Genre
(authority = ExL-Esploro)
ETD graduate
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Rights
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The author owns the copyright to this work
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Copyright protected
Notice
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Open
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Permission or license
Note
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Yoder
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Kathleen
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Kathleen Yoder
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Rutgers University. Graduate School - New Brunswick
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Author Agreement License
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I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
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645120
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