The effects of an oxytocin receptor antagonist on choice of song tutor during a critical period for vocal learning in the zebra finch Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

The social gating hypothesis was advanced based on accumulating evidence that dynamic social interactions early in life guide the development of human speech. Similarly, dynamic social interactions with a song “tutor” are necessary for juvenile zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to successfully acquire song. The zebra finch is a ubiquitous model system of vocal learning. Decades of field observation and experimental work focused on this colonial, socially monogamous songbird have shown that learning to sing depends on the formation of an affiliative bond between a juvenile male and an adult male tutor. To investigate a potential mechanism by which social interactions “gate” learning, we manipulated receptors for the neuropeptide oxytocin in juvenile male zebra finches. Oxytocin is noteworthy for its functional properties as a neuromodulator and its role in affiliative behaviors. We provided juvenile males with two novel adult males as song tutors, presented in a series of separate sessions. Exposure to one of the tutors was paired with administration of an oxytocin receptor (OTR) antagonist to the juvenile via a peripheral injection. The other male tutor was paired with an injection of saline. Following the tutoring sessions, we used an operant assay to measure the juveniles’ behavioral preference through development for each of the songs of the two tutors. Juveniles exhibited a behavioral preference for the song of the tutor paired with the saline treatment. In other words, juveniles preferred the song that was not paired with the OTR antagonist. This preference was dynamic, peaking during an early critical period for learning. We did not detect an effect of the OTR antagonist on which song the juvenile learned. Overall, we found preliminary evidence that OTRs facilitate the formation of a preference for a song tutor during a critical period for vocal learning.

Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………1

Methods…………………………………………………………………………………………...7

Animal husbandry…………………………………………………………………………………7

Auditory stimuli…………………………………………………………………………………....8

Song tutoring……………………………………………………………………………………..10

Operant assay for song preference……………………………………………………………....11

Analysis of song preference……………………………………………………………………...13

Song analysis…………………………………………………………………………………….14

Results…………………………………………………………………………………………...17

Effects of oxytocin receptor antagonism on song preference……………………………………17

Song learning…………………………………………………………………………………….18

Discussion……………………………………………………………………………………….19

Song preference during a critical period………………………………………………………...19

Oxytocin receptor antagonism did not affect song learning……………………………………..21

The relationship between song preference and song quality.……………………………………24

References……………………………………………………………………………………….26

Tables…………………………………………………………………………………………....33

Figures…………………………………………………………………………………………...37

List of Tables

Table 1: Order of tutoring sessions

Table 2: Song learning from tutors

Table 3: Control birds’ song learning from tutors

Table 4: Effects of live, social tutoring

List of Figures

Figure 1: Development of song in the zebra finch

Figure 2: Timeline of experiment

Figure 3: Setup of the operant assay

Figure 4: Design of probabilistic reinforcement schedule

Figure 5: Illustration of segmented syllables

Figure 6: Average daily preference scores

Figure 7: Preference score by phase of song learning

Figure 8: Correlation tests between song preference and degree of song learning

About this Master's Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Psychology
Subfield / Discipline	Neuroscience and Animal Behavior
Degree	MA
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Psychobiology Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Behavioral Sciences
Keyword	songbirds nonapeptide receptor affiliation oxytocin social gating vocal learning
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Donna L. Maney, PhD, Emory University
Committee Members	Jocelyne Bachevalier, PhD, Emory University Patricia Bauer, PhD, Emory University Aubrey Kelly, PhD, Emory University

Last modified

Primary PDF

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions
	File download under embargo until 18 August 2026	2020-07-10 12:45:06 -0400	File download under embargo until 18 August 2026

Supplemental Files

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions