Gulledge C C, DeViche P
Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks 99775-7000, USA.
J Comp Neurol. 1995 Jun 5;356(3):408-17. doi: 10.1002/cne.903560308.
Previous studies have found opioid peptide-like immunoreactivity in avian vocal control regions, but whether these regions contain receptors for opioid peptides has not been examined. To address this question, we used quantitative in vitro autoradiography to determine the anatomical distribution and to measure the densities of mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors in vocal control regions (area X, higher vocal center, and nucleus intercollicularis) of adult male dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis). To evaluate whether opioid receptor densities in these regions depend on the activity of the reproductive system, we also measured these densities in birds collected during the spring, summer, and fall. We found area X, the higher vocal center, and nucleus intercollicularis to contain the three receptor types under study, but opioid receptor densities did not vary seasonally in any of these regions. The presence of specific opioid receptors in avian vocal control regions suggests the participation of opioids in the control of vocal behavior. This participation may consist of short-term (e.g., auditory processing) and/or long-term (e.g., neuronal plasticity) influences.
以往的研究在鸟类发声控制区域发现了类阿片肽免疫反应性，但这些区域是否含有阿片肽受体尚未得到研究。为了解决这个问题，我们使用定量体外放射自显影术来确定成年雄性暗眼灯草鹀（Junco hyemalis）发声控制区域（X区、高级发声中枢和中脑间核）中μ、δ和κ阿片受体的解剖分布并测量其密度。为了评估这些区域的阿片受体密度是否依赖于生殖系统的活动，我们还测量了在春季、夏季和秋季采集的鸟类的这些密度。我们发现X区、高级发声中枢和中脑间核含有所研究的三种受体类型，但在这些区域中，阿片受体密度均未随季节变化。鸟类发声控制区域中特定阿片受体的存在表明阿片类物质参与了发声行为的控制。这种参与可能包括短期（如听觉处理）和/或长期（如神经元可塑性）影响。
