Spatial ability is impaired and hippocampal mineralocorticoid receptor mRNA expression reduced in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) selected for acute high corticosterone response to stress

Citation

Hodgson ZG, Meddle SL, Roberts ML, Buchanan KL, Evans MR, Metzdorf R, Gahr M & Healy SD (2007) Spatial ability is impaired and hippocampal mineralocorticoid receptor mRNA expression reduced in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) selected for acute high corticosterone response to stress. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274 (1607), pp. 239-245. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3704

Abstract
In mammals, stress hormones have profound influences on spatial learning and memory. Here, weinvestigated whether glucocorticoids influence cognitive abilities in birds by testing a line of zebra finchesselectively bred to respond to an acute stressor with high plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels. Cognitiveperformance was assessed by spatial and visual one-trial associative memory tasks. Task performance inthe high CORT birds was compared with that of the random-bred birds from a control breeding line. Thebirds selected for high CORT in response to an acute stressor performed less well than the controls in thespatial task, but there were no significant differences between the lines in performance during the visual task.The birds from the two lines did not differ in their plasmaCORTlevels immediately after the performance ofthe memory tasks; nevertheless, there were significant differences in peak plasma CORT between the lines.The high CORT birds also had significantly lower mineralocorticoid receptor mRNA expression in thehippocampus than the control birds. There was no measurable difference between the lines in glucocorticoidreceptor mRNA density in either the hippocampus or the paraventricular nucleus. Together, these findingsprovide evidence to suggest that stress hormones have important regulatory roles in avian spatial cognition.

Keywords
ABILITY; cognitive abilities; COGNITIVE ability; Control; DENSITIES; DENSITY; difference; evidence; expression; Learning; LEVEL; levels; memories; Memory; Performance; PLASMA; RECEPTOR; Role; Roles; Spatial; Spatial Ability; Stress; TASK; Testing

Journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Volume 274, Issue 1607