Lubischer J L, Arnold A P
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90024-1563.
J Comp Neurol. 1990 Jan 15;291(3):450-6. doi: 10.1002/cne.902910310.
The production of song in passerine birds is under the control of steroid hormones, and brain regions involved in song production have been shown to contain androgen and/or estrogen receptors. Studies to date, however, have not considered the possible role of progestins in this behavior. As one approach to this question, the autoradiographic method was used to investigate the distribution of progestin-concentrating cells in the brain of the adult male zebra finch (Poephila guttata) after injection of the radiolabeled synthetic progestin [17 alpha-methyl-3H]-promegestone. In the telencephalon, identifiable groups of progestin-accumulating cells were found in the hyperstriatum dorsale, at the medial edge of the lobus parolfactorius, and in the medial septum. In the diencephalon, labeled groups of cells were found in the preoptic area, through much of the medial hypothalamus--including nucleus periventricularis magnocellularis, nucleus medialis hypothalami posterialis, and area infundibularis--and in the medial spiriform nucleus and dorsomedial thalamus. In the myelencephalon, labeled cells are described at the dorsal edge of the medulla and scattered lateral to nXII. These findings offer no support for the hypothesis that progestin acts on any of the known song regions, but do suggest areas of progestin action in the avian central nervous system outside of the known song system. Not surprisingly, these include many areas of the medial hypothalamus and other midline structures.
鸣禽的鸣叫行为受类固醇激素的控制，参与鸣叫的脑区已被证明含有雄激素和/或雌激素受体。然而，迄今为止的研究尚未考虑孕激素在这种行为中的可能作用。作为解决这个问题的一种方法，采用放射自显影法研究成年雄性斑胸草雀（Poephila guttata）注射放射性标记的合成孕激素[17α-甲基-3H]-甲孕诺龙后脑中孕激素浓缩细胞的分布。在端脑，在背侧上纹状体、嗅觉叶内侧边缘和内侧隔中发现了可识别的孕激素积累细胞群。在间脑，在视前区、大部分内侧下丘脑（包括室周大细胞核、下丘脑内侧后核和漏斗区）以及内侧螺旋状核和背内侧丘脑发现了标记的细胞群。在延髓，在延髓背侧边缘和舌下神经核外侧分散的区域描述了标记细胞。这些发现不支持孕激素作用于任何已知鸣叫区域的假设，但确实表明在已知鸣叫系统之外的鸟类中枢神经系统中存在孕激素作用的区域。不出所料，这些区域包括内侧下丘脑的许多区域和其他中线结构。
