Sakaguchi H, Li R, Taniguchi I
Department of Physiology and Biological Information, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Mibu, Tochigi, Japan.
Neuroreport. 2000 Aug 21;11(12):2727-31. doi: 10.1097/00001756-200008210-00024.
The two main song control nuclei in the forebrain of zebra finches, the higher vocal center (HVC) and the robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA), are sexually dimorphic at many levels of their neural circuitry. These nuclei receive their cholinergic innervation from the ventral paleostriatum (VP), which is homologous to portions of the mammalian basal forebrain. We compared the cholinergic neurons in the VP between the sexes using choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunohistochemistry. Both the size and density of the ChAT-immunoreactive somata in areas of the VP that project to the HVC or RA in males were significantly larger than those in females. These sex differences in the VP may be reflected in the sex differences of behaviors such as song perception and production.
斑胸草雀前脑的两个主要发声控制核团，即高级发声中枢（HVC）和古纹状体粗核（RA），在其神经回路的多个层面上都存在性别差异。这些核团接受来自腹侧古纹状体（VP）的胆碱能神经支配，VP与哺乳动物基底前脑的部分区域同源。我们使用胆碱乙酰转移酶（ChAT）免疫组织化学方法比较了两性VP中的胆碱能神经元。在雄性中，投射到HVC或RA的VP区域内，ChAT免疫反应性胞体的大小和密度均显著大于雌性。VP中的这些性别差异可能反映在诸如歌声感知和发声等行为的性别差异中。
