Hormones and Behavior· 2026Q2
Sex steroid hormones and sensorimotor vocal development in songbirds
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- 2026year
Short summary
Testosterone is essential for song crystallization in songbirds, acting critically in the LMAN region of the song control system, which has high androgen receptor density.
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Key points
- Vocal production learning, exemplified by birdsong and human speech, involves song memory formation and sensorimotor imitation.
- Testosterone is crucial for song crystallization, the process of refining vocal output to match a learned template.
- The LMAN nucleus in songbirds, rich in androgen receptors, is proposed as a critical site for testosterone's action in crystallization.
- Other song system areas like HVC and RA may also be testosterone-sensitive and involved in vocal learning.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Vocal production learning is rare among animals with birdsong and human speech representing two of the clearest examples. There are two phases to this learning process: one involves the formation of a song memory or template, the second is a sensorimotor process requiring the imitation of the template by vocal output that in songbirds results in a stereotypic species-typical song. Recent advances in the understanding of neural processes required for sensorimotor learning, which includes error correction, have not considered the critical action of testosterone that is essential for song crystallization. We argue that nucleus LMAN of the avian song control system that expresses high densities of androgen receptors is one of the critical sites of testosterone action for crystallization. An additional role may be played by testosterone sensitive areas in the song system such as HVC and RA. Analogous processes for testosterone-dependent sensorimotor vocal learning may also occur in humans and other species.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Hormones and Behavior, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Developmental BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology