Sexual dimorphism in vasotocin (VT) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) distribution in the brain of male and female tits (Cyanistes coeruleus and Remiz pendulinus)
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1
Semmelweis Universty, Dept. of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Hungary
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2
University of Bath, Dept. of Biology and Biochemistry, United Kingdom
Vasopressin, VT and VIP play important roles in sexual behaviour of vertebrates. Here we focus on mating and parental behaviour, and compare VT and VIP distributions in the brains of two songbird species with different reproductive strategies: monogamous and biparental blue tits (Cyanistes coeruleus), versus polygamous and uniparental Eurasian penduline tits (Remiz pendulinus). In both species, VT cells are in the hypothalamic supraoptic, paraventricular and suprachiasmatic nuclei, bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST), and along the lateral forebrain bundle. Most VT fibres course to the median eminence. Some run towards the arcopallium and lateral septum (SL). Main terminal fields are in the dorsal thalamus, ventral tegmental area and pretectal area. We found strong sexual differences in BNST and SL: cells and fibres are more numerous in sexually mature males of both species. VIP cells are in the lateral septal organ and arcuate nucleus. VIP fibres distribute extensively in the hypothalamus, preoptic area, SL, diagonal band of Broca. They are also found in the BNST, nucleus taeniae, robust nucleus of the arcopallium, caudal ventral hyperpallium, accumbens and brainstem. These results suggest that sexual dimorphism in neuropeptide expression occurs in both songbird species consistently with predictions of social network hypothesis.
Acknowledgements
Grant sponsor: OTKA 73219
Keywords:
Molecular and cellular neurobiology,
Neuroscience
Conference:
13th Conference of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society (MITT), Budapest, Hungary, 20 Jan - 22 Jan, 2011.
Presentation Type:
Abstract
Topic:
Molecular and cellular neurobiology
Citation:
Montagnese
C,
Székely
T,
Csillag
A and
Zachar
G
(2011). Sexual dimorphism in vasotocin (VT) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) distribution in the brain of male and female tits (Cyanistes coeruleus and Remiz pendulinus).
Front. Neurosci.
Conference Abstract:
13th Conference of the Hungarian Neuroscience Society (MITT).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2011.84.00002
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Received:
03 Mar 2011;
Published Online:
23 Mar 2011.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. C. Montagnese, Semmelweis Universty, Dept. of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Budapest, Hungary, catherine.montagnese@gmail.com