title: Norepinephrine inhibition in juvenile male zebra finches modulates adult song quality.
abstract: During development, male zebra finches learn a song that they eventually use in courtship and defense of nest sites. Norepinephrine (NE) is important for learning and memory in vertebrates, and this neuromodulator and its receptors are present throughout the brain regions that control song learning and production. The present study used the neurotoxin N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine hydrochloride (DSP4) to reduce brain levels of NE in juvenile males. This manipulation inhibited the development of quality songs, with some birds producing syllables that were unusually long and/or contained frequencies that were predominantly higher than normal. These results suggest that NE is important for the acquisition of typical song.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. wadej@msu.edu
authors.forename: Juli
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wade
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lampen
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Yu Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001596:Benzylamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D046369:Finches; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D014179:Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D063346:Singing; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013997:Time Factors; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D015031:Zimeldine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001596:Benzylamines; D014179:Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors; D009638:Norepinephrine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D015031:Zimeldine; C012102:DSP 4