Expression of oxytocin receptors in the zebra finch brain during vocal development

Like human language, song in songbirds is learned during an early sensitive period and is facilitated by motivation to seek out social interactions with vocalizing adults. Songbirds are therefore powerful models with which to understand the neural underpinnings of vocal learning. Social motivation and early social orienting are thought to be mediated by the oxytocin system; however, the developmental trajectory of oxytocin receptors in songbirds, particularly as it relates to song learning, is currently unknown. This gap in knowledge has hindered the development of songbirds as a model of the role of social orienting in vocal learning. In this study, we used quantitative PCR to measure oxytocin receptor expression during the sensitive period of song learning in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We focused on brain regions important for social motivation, attachment, song recognition, and song learning. We detected expression in these regions in both sexes from posthatch day 5 to adulthood, encompassing the entire period of song learning. In this species, only males sing; we found that in regions implicated in song learning specifically, oxytocin receptor mRNA expression was higher in males than females. These sex differences were largest during the developmental phase when males attend to and memorize tutor song, suggesting a functional role of expression in learning. Our results show that oxytocin receptors are expressed in relevant brain regions during song learning, and thus provide a foundation for developing the zebra finch as a model for understanding the mechanisms underlying the role of social motivation in vocal development.