Abstract
Gonadal steroid receptor mRNA in catecholaminergic nuclei of the canary brainstem
Maney,Donna L.; Bernard,Daniel J.; Ball,Gregory F.
Neuroscience Letters 311(3): 189-192
Publication date: 2001
Steroid actions in the song system may be modulated by ascending inputs from catecholaminergic (CA) brain nuclei; however, whether these nuclei contain steroid receptors is unknown. Here, we compared the distribution of androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-a) mRNA with that of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity (TH-IR) in the brainstems of male canaries. Areas containing AR and ER-a mRNA overlapped with areas containing TH-IR cell bodies in the locus ceruleus and the area ventralis of Tsai. The substantia nigra and the midbrain central gray contained both TH-IR and AR mRNA. The presence of AR and ER-a within CA cell groups suggests that sex steroid hormones may modulate song production at the site of CA synthesis.
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