Seasonal neuroplasticity in the songbird telencephalon: A role for melatonin
Seasonal neuroplasticity in the songbird telencephalon: A role for melatonin
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.96.8.4674
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发表时间：
1999-04-13
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Ball, GF
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bentley, GE;Van't Hof, TJ;Ball, GF
鸣禽声音控制系统的神经可塑性受到循环睾酮季节性波动的强烈影响。这些季节性可塑性的端脑结构与鸣禽鸣叫的学习和产生有关。吲哚胺褪黑素在鸟类季节性适应中的作用尚不清楚。本实验通过阉割欧洲椋鸟以去除性腺激素的神经调节活性，并在不同的光照周期下诱导不同季节特征的繁殖状态。与短日相比，长日增加了歌曲控制核高声乐中心的体积。外源性褪黑素减弱了长时间诱导的高声部中枢的体积增加，也降低了另一个控制鸣叫的核x区的体积。据我们所知，这是第一个证明褪黑素在脊椎动物中枢神经系统功能可塑性中的作用的直接证据。
Neuroplasticity in the vocal control system of songbirds is strongly influenced by seasonal fluctuations in circulating testosterone. These seasonally plastic telencephalic structures are implicated in the learning and production of song in songbirds. The role of the indoleamine melatonin in seasonal adaptations in birds has remained unclear. In this experiment, European starlings were castrated to remove the neuromodulating activity of gonadal steroids and were exposed to different photoperiods to induce reproductive states characteristic of different seasonal conditions. Long days increased the volume of the song-control nucleus high vocal center compared with its volume on short days. Exogenous melatonin attenuated the long-day-induced volumetric increase in high vocal center and also decreased the volume of another song-control nucleus, area X. This effect was observed regardless of reproductive state. To our knowledge, this is the first direct evidence of a role for melatonin in functional plasticity within the central nervous system of vertebrates.