Growth and atrophy of neurons labeled at their birth in a song nucleus of the zebra finch

Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.87.9.3538· OSTI ID:6775002

Konishi, M; Akutagawa, E ^[1]

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1. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena (USA)

The robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA) is one of the forebrain nuclei that control song production in birds. In the zebra finch (Poephila guttata), this nucleus contains more and larger neurons in the male than in the female. A single injection of tritiated thymidine into the egg on the 6th or 7th day of incubation resulted in labeling of many RA neurons with tritium. The size of tritium-labeled neurons and the tissue volume containing them did not differ between the sexes at 15 days after hatching. In the adult brain, tritium-labeled neurons and the tissue volume containing them were much larger in the male than in the female. Also, tritium-labeled RA neurons were large in females which received an implant of estrogen immediately after hatching. The gender differences in the neuron size and nuclear volume of the zebra finch RA are, therefore, due not to the replacement of old neurons by new ones during development but to the growth and atrophy of neurons born before hatching. Similarly, the masculinizing effects of estrogen on the female RA are due not to neuronal replacement but to the prevention of atrophy and promotion of growth in preexisting neurons.

• OSTI ID: 6775002
• Journal Information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA), Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA) Vol. 87:9; ISSN PNASA; ISSN 0027-8424
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550201* -- Biochemistry-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
AZINES
BIOCHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
BIRDS
BODY
BRAIN
CELL DIVISION
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DNA REPLICATION
EMBRYOS
ESTROGENS
GROWTH
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HORMONES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
KINETICS
NERVE CELLS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEIC ACID REPLICATION
NUCLEOSIDES
NUCLEOTIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PYRIMIDINES
REACTION KINETICS
RIBOSIDES
SEX DEPENDENCE
SOMATIC CELLS
STEROID HORMONES
THYMIDINE
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
VERTEBRATES