Skip to main content

Main menu

  • HOME
  • CONTENT
    • Early Release
    • Featured
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • Collections
    • Podcast
  • ALERTS
  • FOR AUTHORS
    • Information for Authors
    • Fees
    • Journal Clubs
    • eLetters
    • Submit
    • Special Collections
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
    • Editorial Board
    • ECR Advisory Board
    • Journal Staff
  • ABOUT
    • Overview
    • Advertise
    • For the Media
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Feedback
    • Accessibility
  • SUBSCRIBE

User menu

  • Log out
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Neuroscience
  • Log out
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Neuroscience

Advanced Search

Submit a Manuscript
  • HOME
  • CONTENT
    • Early Release
    • Featured
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • Collections
    • Podcast
  • ALERTS
  • FOR AUTHORS
    • Information for Authors
    • Fees
    • Journal Clubs
    • eLetters
    • Submit
    • Special Collections
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
    • Editorial Board
    • ECR Advisory Board
    • Journal Staff
  • ABOUT
    • Overview
    • Advertise
    • For the Media
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Feedback
    • Accessibility
  • SUBSCRIBE
PreviousNext
Articles

Chronic testosterone treatment impairs vocal learning in male zebra finches during a restricted period of development

S Korsia and SW Bottjer
Journal of Neuroscience 1 August 1991, 11 (8) 2362-2371; https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.11-08-02362.1991
S Korsia
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089–2520.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
SW Bottjer
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089–2520.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

To study the effects of chronic exposure to testosterone on song behavior development, we administered various amounts of testosterone to juvenile male zebra finches during different periods of song acquisition. We report that testosterone exposure during development profoundly impairs song learning in juvenile males. The effects of the hormone do not seem to be dose related but vary according to the period of life during which testosterone is administered. Exposure to testosterone starting before day 40 and lasting until adulthood decreases the number of syllables in the birds' repertoire and increases the number of phrases per bout of singing. In addition to these changes in the “syntactical” features of song, acoustic abnormalities are also present in the song syllables of males that begin to receive testosterone during the first month of life. Administration of testosterone during only the first 3 weeks of life produces acoustic abnormalities but has no effect on repertoire size or bout structure. Birds receiving the hormone between 20 and 40 d of age develop both acoustic abnormalities and a reduced repertoire size, but their song bouts contain a normal number of song phrases. Exposure to testosterone starting on day 40 produce no behavioral abnormalities. These results indicate that normal song development requires a period of low levels of circulating testosterone and also provide support for the idea that vocal learning entails a progressive sequence of events.

Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of Neuroscience: 11 (8)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 11, Issue 8
1 Aug 1991
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
Email

Thank you for sharing this Journal of Neuroscience article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Chronic testosterone treatment impairs vocal learning in male zebra finches during a restricted period of development
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Journal of Neuroscience
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Journal of Neuroscience.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
View Full Page PDF
Citation Tools
Chronic testosterone treatment impairs vocal learning in male zebra finches during a restricted period of development
S Korsia, SW Bottjer
Journal of Neuroscience 1 August 1991, 11 (8) 2362-2371; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.11-08-02362.1991

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Respond to this article
Request Permissions
Share
Chronic testosterone treatment impairs vocal learning in male zebra finches during a restricted period of development
S Korsia, SW Bottjer
Journal of Neuroscience 1 August 1991, 11 (8) 2362-2371; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.11-08-02362.1991
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Responses to this article

Respond to this article

Jump to comment:

No eLetters have been published for this article.

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Memory Retrieval Has a Dynamic Influence on the Maintenance Mechanisms That Are Sensitive to ζ-Inhibitory Peptide (ZIP)
  • Neurophysiological Evidence for a Cortical Contribution to the Wakefulness-Related Drive to Breathe Explaining Hypocapnia-Resistant Ventilation in Humans
  • Monomeric Alpha-Synuclein Exerts a Physiological Role on Brain ATP Synthase
Show more Articles
  • Home
  • Alerts
  • Follow SFN on BlueSky
  • Visit Society for Neuroscience on Facebook
  • Follow Society for Neuroscience on Twitter
  • Follow Society for Neuroscience on LinkedIn
  • Visit Society for Neuroscience on Youtube
  • Follow our RSS feeds

Content

  • Early Release
  • Current Issue
  • Issue Archive
  • Collections

Information

  • For Authors
  • For Advertisers
  • For the Media
  • For Subscribers

About

  • About the Journal
  • Editorial Board
  • Privacy Notice
  • Contact
  • Accessibility
(JNeurosci logo)
(SfN logo)

Copyright © 2025 by the Society for Neuroscience.
JNeurosci Online ISSN: 1529-2401

The ideas and opinions expressed in JNeurosci do not necessarily reflect those of SfN or the JNeurosci Editorial Board. Publication of an advertisement or other product mention in JNeurosci should not be construed as an endorsement of the manufacturer’s claims. SfN does not assume any responsibility for any injury and/or damage to persons or property arising from or related to any use of any material contained in JNeurosci.