Steroid-dependent and -independent control of singing motivation and neural plasticity in a seasonal songbird

This thesis is dedicated to the analysis of singing behavior and the neural structures that underlie its learning and production in a seasonal songbird species, the domesticated canary (Serinus canaria). We will start by describing the utility of the songbird species in neuroscience research and describing the neural network controlling song. Next, we will outline the mechanisms controlling seasonality in avian species. Sex steroid hormones play a critical role in the seasonal modulation of the song system and therefore the following section will explain the steroid hormone actions involved. The last two sections of this introduction will then characterize in more detail the plasticity of the song control system and the nature and controls of birdsong itself.