title: Contact-call driven and tone-driven zenk expression in the nucleus ovoidalis of the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus).
abstract: The effectiveness of species-typical contact calls and a 3-kHz pure tone to induce zenk gene protein expression in the primary thalamic auditory relay nucleus ovoidalis was compared in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), a parrot species capable of lifelong vocal learning. Ovoidalis consists of a core which projects topographically to field L of the telencephalon and a ventromedial shell containing many calcitonin-gene-related peptide neurons that project throughout field L as well as to an adjacent field receiving visual input. Tone-induced and call-induced zenk expression in the ovoidalis core were similar; however, call-induced zenk expression in ventromedial ovoidalis shell was significantly greater than tone-induced expression. These results support the idea that the ovoidalis shell may contain neurons specialized to process complex sounds including species-typical communication sounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA. brauth@psyc.umd.edu
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Brauth
authors.forename: Wenru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000378:metabolism*; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D046408:Melopsittacus / Q000378:metabolism*; D013018:Sound Spectrography / Q000379:methods; D013787:Thalamic Nuclei / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1