Sparrow brain study may aid humans

SEATTLE, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have discovered a major change occurs annually in the brains of songbirds and the finding might impact human medical treatments.

University of Washington and University of California-Berkeley researchers report a striking shrinkage in the size of the brain regions that control the singing behavior of Gambel’s white-crowned sparrows. The transformation is triggered by the withdrawal of naturally occurring testosterone.

The researchers, led by UW doctoral student Christopher Thompson, said their study is the first to report such rapid regression of brain nuclei.

Co-authors of the study are UW Professor Eliot Brenowitz and former postdoctoral researcher George Bentley, now an assistant professor at UC-Berkeley.

"We’ve seen seasonal changes in the brains of fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals … and even in humans," said Brenowitz. "However, the magnitude of changes in birds far exceeds that seen in other animals."

Thompson said there are a number of potential medical implications in the findings relating to age-related degenerative diseases and conditions marked by declining mental abilities from this study.

The complex research is reported in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.