Using Digital Images of the Zebra Finch Song System as a Tool to Teach Organizational Effects of Steroid Hormones: A Free Downloadable Module

Zebra finch song behavior is sexually dimorphic: males sing and females do not. The neural system underlying this behavior is sexually dimorphic, and this sex difference is easy to quantify. During development, the zebra finch song system can be altered by steroid hormones, specifically estradiol, w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CBE life sciences education 2011, Vol.10 (2), p.222-230
Main Authors: Grisham, William, Schottler, Natalie A, Beck McCauley, Lisa M, Pham, Anh P, Ruiz, Maureen L, Fong, Michelle C, Cui, Xinran
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biology
Brain
Brain - drug effects
Brain - metabolism
College Science
Estradiol - metabolism
Estradiol - pharmacology
Female
Finches - physiology
Gender Differences
Gonadal Steroid Hormones - metabolism
Gonadal Steroid Hormones - pharmacology
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Instructional Effectiveness
Instructional Materials
Laboratories
Laboratory Experiments
Male
Post Hoc Tests
Science Activities
Science Instruction
Sex Characteristics
Sexual Behavior, Animal
Students
Undergraduate Students
Visual Aids
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Summary:Zebra finch song behavior is sexually dimorphic: males sing and females do not. The neural system underlying this behavior is sexually dimorphic, and this sex difference is easy to quantify. During development, the zebra finch song system can be altered by steroid hormones, specifically estradiol, which actually masculinizes it. Because of the ease of quantification and experimental manipulation, the zebra finch song system has great potential for use in undergraduate labs. Unfortunately, the underlying costs prohibit use of this system in undergraduate labs. Further, the time required to perform a developmental study renders such undertakings unrealistic within a single academic term. We have overcome these barriers by creating digital tools, including an image library of song nuclei from zebra finch brains. Students using this library replicate and extend a published experiment examining the dose of estradiol required to masculinize the female zebra finch brain. We have used this library for several terms, and students not only obtain significant experimental results but also make gains in understanding content, experimental controls, and inferential statistics (analysis of variance and post hoc tests). We have provided free access to these digital tools at the following website: http://mdcune.psych.ucla.edu/modules/birdsong. (Contains 6 figures and 1 table.)
ISSN:1931-7913
1931-7913
DOI:10.1187/cbe.11-01-0002