Development of Nervous System and Modulation of the Calling Behavior by Testosterone in Japanese Quails

本研究的目的是阐明日本鹌鹑幼雏和成年雄性沿着鸣叫产生求救叫声的神经系统功能机制以及睾酮对叫声行为的影响.将少量睾丸激素直接植入中脑可使雏鸡发出鸡鸣，而同样剂量的植入端脑则失败。提示睾丸激素作用于中脑，诱导雏鸡冠状突起.在睾丸激素植入前后，分别用电刺激的方法，刺激鸡的ICo区，使其发出求救声和鸡啼声。提示产生呼唤行为的神经系统位于ICo，睾酮通过其活动调节呼唤行为.成年雄鸟通过对ICo的电刺激而发出啼叫声，这表明ICo具有在成年雄鸟中产生啼叫的神经系统。睾酮结合蛋白存在于ICo神经元的神经膜上，这表明睾酮的非基因组作用调节呼叫行为。

The aim of this study is to clarify the functional mechanism of nervous system for producing distress calls in Japanese quail chicks and crowing in adult males along with the effects of testosterone on calling behaviors.1. Implantation of a small amount of testosterone directly into mesencephalon causes chicks to emit chick crowing, while the same dose of implantation into telencephalon failed. It suggests that testosterone acts on mesencephalon to induce chick crowing.2. By electrical stimulation of the ICo chicks emit distress calls and chick crowing before and after testosterone implantation respectively. This suggests that nervous system for producing calling behavior is in the ICo and testosterone modulates calling behavior as result of its activity.3. Adult males emit crowing by electrical stimulation of the ICo, suggesting that the ICo has the nervous system for producing crowing in adult males.4. Testosterone binding proteins exist on neural membrane of neurons in the ICo, suggesting that non-genomic action of testosterone modulates calling behaviors.