Riters Lauren V, Teague Donald P, Schroeder Molly B, Cummings Sydney E
Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, 361 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Behav Brain Res. 2004 Dec 6;155(2):307-18. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2004.05.002.
In songbirds, a major function of song during the breeding season is mate attraction, and song in this context can be highly sexually motivated. Vocal learning, perception, and production are regulated by the song control system, but there is no evidence that this system participates in the motivation to sing. Instead, brain regions involved in sexual motivation and arousal, including the medial preoptic nucleus (POM), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), nucleus taeniae (Tn), and area ventralis of Tsai (AVT) might regulate the motivation to sing, at least in a sexual context. The role of these nuclei and song control nuclei (area X and HVC) in vocal production within a breeding context, and other courtship behaviors, was investigated using immunocytochemistry for protein products of immediate early genes (IEGs), ZENK and c-fos (Fos), in flocks of male house sparrows (Passer domesticus) presented with females. Compared to vocalizations from other perches, vocal behavior from a nest box is more likely directed toward females, and sexually motivated. The numbers of ZENK and Fos labeled cells within rostral, but not caudal POM related positively only to vocalizations produced from a nest box. In contrast, the number of ZENK-labeled cells within area X related negatively to vocalizations from a nest box. Additionally, numbers of IEG-labeled cells within rPOM, Tn and AVT related positively to mount attempts. The results support the hypothesis that the POM interacts with the song control system to regulate sexually motivated vocal expression, and are consistent with work indicating that (a) rostral and caudal POM play distinct roles in sexual behavior, and (b) involvement of area X in song is context specific.
在鸣禽中，繁殖季节歌声的一个主要功能是吸引配偶，在这种情况下，歌声可能具有很强的性动机。发声学习、感知和发声由歌声控制系统调节，但没有证据表明该系统参与唱歌的动机。相反，涉及性动机和唤起的脑区，包括内侧视前核（POM）、终纹床核（BST）、带状核（Tn）和蔡氏腹侧区（AVT），可能调节唱歌的动机，至少在性情境中如此。利用免疫细胞化学技术，对呈现雌性的雄性家麻雀（Passer domesticus）群体中即时早期基因（IEGs）ZENK和c-fos（Fos）的蛋白质产物进行检测，研究了这些核团和歌声控制核团（X区和HVC）在繁殖情境中的发声以及其他求偶行为中的作用。与来自其他栖木的发声相比，巢箱中的发声行为更有可能指向雌性，且具有性动机。仅与巢箱发出的发声呈正相关的是吻侧而非尾侧POM内ZENK和Fos标记细胞的数量。相反，X区内ZENK标记细胞的数量与巢箱发出的发声呈负相关。此外，吻侧POM、Tn和AVT内IEG标记细胞的数量与爬跨尝试呈正相关。这些结果支持了POM与歌声控制系统相互作用以调节性动机发声表达的假说，并且与以下研究结果一致：（a）吻侧和尾侧POM在性行为中发挥不同作用，以及（b）X区在歌声中的参与具有情境特异性。
