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Testosterone modulates stimulation-induced calling behavior in Japanese quails.
Y Yazaki1, T Matsushima, K Aoki
1Life Science Institute, Sophia University, Tokyo.
Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
|March 17, 1999
Summary
Testosterone influences vocalizations in Japanese quails. The intercollicular nucleus (ICN) plays a key role, with male ICN neurons showing more dendrites, enabling complex crowing calls.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Avian Vocalization
Background:
- Japanese quail vocalizations differ by sex and age.
- Adult males produce a characteristic crow with a frequency-modulated trill.
- The intercollicular nucleus (ICN) is implicated in vocalization, potentially mediating testosterone's effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the ICN in Japanese quail vocalizations.
- To determine if testosterone modulates ICN structure and function related to vocal behavior.
Main Methods:
- Histological examination of ICN neurons in male and female Japanese quails.
- Electrical stimulation of the ICN in females before and after testosterone treatment.
- Analysis of vocalization patterns produced.
Main Results:
- ICN neurons in adult males possess more dendrites than those in females.
- Electrical stimulation of the ICN in males produced calls with a trill element.
- Females produced simple calls, but after testosterone treatment and stimulation, produced male-like trilling calls.
Conclusions:
- The ICN is a vocal neural system modulated by testosterone during development.
- ICN neurons mediate testosterone's action on vocal behavior in adult quails.
- Male quail crowing vocalizations are likely due to testosterone's effects on the ICN neural mechanisms.