Dendritic spine loss and enlargement during maturation of the speech control system in the mynah bird (Gracula religiosa).
Three types of neurons were identified in Golgi-Cox preparations of the telencephalic nucleus HVc of the mynah bird with the Sholl method. In a comparison of birds of 10 weeks and speech-trained birds of one year of age a reduction of dendritic spine density and an enlargement of the remaining spines was found in a large isopolar cell type. These findings are interpreted in terms of the mynah's shrinking potential with age to imitate new sounds and the stabilization of the acquired repertoire.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003712:Dendrites / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007100:Imitative Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D013687:Telencephalon / Q000166:cytology*; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000502:physiology*