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Published September 15, 1988 | Published
Journal Article Open

A critical period for estrogen action on neurons of the song control system in the zebra finch

Abstract

The song nuclei of the male zebra finch (Poephila guttata) contain larger neurons than those of the female. This gender difference arises after hatching as a result of cell atrophy in the female and cell growth in the male. Implantation of estrogen in female chicks induces masculine differentiation of neurons in their song nuclei. The effects of estrogen on neuron size decline steeply after posthatching day 35 when neuronal atrophy begins. Estrogen loses its masculinizing effects completely after day 45 when the adult level of neuronal atrophy is reached. Thus, the end and the intensity of hormone action appear to be correlated with the timing of neuronal atrophy.

Additional Information

Copyright © 1988 by the National Academy of Sciences. Contributed by Masakazu Konishi, May 26, 1988. We thank Drs. Catherine E. Carr, Paul Patterson, and Susan F. Volman for reading early versions of this paper and Dr. Jack Wathey for statistical analysis. This work was supported by a grant for Developmental Biology from the Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust. The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact.

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