title: Influence of sex steroid hormones on spatial memory in a songbird.
abstract: In mammals, sex steroid hormones influence spatial learning and memory abilities but there are few data regarding such effects in birds. We investigated whether non-invasive sex steroid hormone treatment would affect spatial memory task performance of great tits (Parus major). For five consecutive days, birds were fed wax moth larvae injected with either 80 microg testosterone or 80 microg estradiol carried in peanut oil immediately prior to behavioral testing. During the 5 days prior to and the 5 days following hormone treatment, birds were fed vehicle-injected larvae. Both hormone manipulations resulted in an elevation of circulating hormone levels within 5 min of larva ingestion. This elevation was sustained for at least 30 min but had no short-term (<1 day) effect on spatial memory performance. However, performance tended to increase during the first 5 days of vehicle treatment and during both sex steroid treatments whereas it decreased during the 5 days of vehicle treatment following either hormone treatment. These results suggest that both hormones led to some improvement in spatial memory that declined once treatment ended. The great tit hippocampus was found to express androgen and estrogen receptors which would provide a direct site of sex steroid action.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JT, UK.
authors.forename: Zoë G
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Hodgson
authors.forename: Simone L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Meddle
authors.forename: Julian K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Christians
authors.forename: Todd S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Sperry
authors.forename: Susan D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Healy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020308:Songbirds / Q000502:physiology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol
references.citation: Brain Res Brain Res Rev. 2001 Nov;37(1-3):201-22
references.pmid: 11744087
references.citation: Behav Brain Res. 1993 Feb 26;53(1-2):1-10
references.pmid: 8466654
references.citation: J Neurosci. 2004 Jun 30;24(26):5892-900
references.pmid: 15229236
references.citation: J Neurobiol. 1999 Sep 5;40(3):397-406
references.pmid: 10440739
references.citation: J Neurosci. 1997 May 15;17(10):3861-9
references.pmid: 9133404
references.citation: Microsc Res Tech. 2001 Oct 1;55(1):1-11
references.pmid: 11596145
references.citation: J Comp Neurol. 1993 Jan 1;327(1):112-22
references.pmid: 8432903
references.citation: J Comp Neurol. 1999 Apr 28;407(1):115-29
references.pmid: 10213192
references.citation: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1991;16(1-3):155-76
references.pmid: 1961837
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Jan 20;101(3):865-70
references.pmid: 14694190
references.citation: Behav Brain Res. 2004 Aug 12;153(1):1-6
references.pmid: 15219700
references.citation: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1991;16(4):323-34
references.pmid: 1745699
references.citation: Neuroscience. 2006;138(3):783-91
references.pmid: 16359807
references.citation: J Comp Neurol. 1997 Dec 1;388(4):603-12
references.pmid: 9388019
references.citation: Behav Neurosci. 1996 Jun;110(3):626-32
references.pmid: 8889009
references.citation: Brain Res Bull. 1997;44(4):359-64
references.pmid: 9370200
references.citation: J Comp Neurol. 1999 Jun 28;409(2):224-36
references.pmid: 10379916
references.citation: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2004 Sep;29(8):1019-27
references.pmid: 15219653
references.citation: Horm Behav. 2004 Apr;45(4):250-8
references.pmid: 15053941
references.citation: J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2006 Dec;102(1-5):180-3
references.pmid: 17113980
references.citation: Endocrinology. 1995 Aug;136(8):3213-21
references.pmid: 7628354
references.citation: Brain Behav Evol. 1999;54(1):41-50
references.pmid: 10516403
references.citation: Front Neuroendocrinol. 2008 May;29(2):169-81
references.pmid: 18093638
references.citation: Horm Behav. 2000 Feb;37(1):23-30
references.pmid: 10712855
references.citation: Brain Res Bull. 1997;44(4):509-17
references.pmid: 9370218
references.citation: Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1998 Sep;111(3):386-94
references.pmid: 9707484
references.citation: J Mol Med (Berl). 1995 Sep;73(9):439-47
references.pmid: 8528747
references.citation: Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2000 Jan;117(1):34-53
references.pmid: 10620422
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Jun 5;98(12):6941-4
references.pmid: 11391008
references.citation: Hippocampus. 2003;13(2):226-34
references.pmid: 12699330
references.citation: Horm Behav. 1998 Oct;34(2):85-97
references.pmid: 9799620
references.citation: Behav Neurosci. 1996 Aug;110(4):831-5
references.pmid: 8864273