Psychology Commons^™

The Effects Of Corticosterone And Social Isolation On Song Stereotypy And Neural Plasticity In Zebra Finches, Pavlina Faltynek

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Birdsong is important to male songbirds’ reproductive success. For male birds it is important to consistently reproduce their song with high stereotypy, and the effects of stress on song consistency are little studied. My current study examined the effects of social isolation and corticosterone administration on song production and migrating and apoptotic neurons in the song-control brain region HVC of zebra finches. All males significantly decreased in song stereotypy over time, independent of treatment or housing. Males who were housed in isolation had a significant decrease in their latency to sing, as well as a decrease in arborization in migratory …