Operant Conditioning Task to Measure Song Preference in Zebra Finches

Summary

We describe a technique to evaluate song preference in zebra finches. Females are placed in a two-chambered cage and song preference is measured by the number of times she triggers the playback of one song by landing on a perch within one chamber, compared with triggering a different song in the second chamber. Perch landings are counted using infrared sensors.

Abstract

An operant conditioning paradigm is used to test the song preference of female zebra finches. Finches are placed in a two-chambered cage with a connecting opening and indicate their preference for a song by landing on a perch within each chamber. By interrupting the infrared beam from a photoelectric sensor above each perch, the bird activates the playback of a song through a speaker located on each side of the cage. Freely available software is used to trigger the song playback from each perch. To determine the song preference of each animal, her chamber preference is first identified by triggering no song playback when she lands on each perch. This chamber preference is then compared to her song preference. A minimum activity threshold is set to ensure the preference is real. Using this method, we show that paired females prefer the song of their partner. This method was used to understand the contribution of dopamine to the formation and maintenance of song preference.

Introduction

One of the fundamental questions in biology is how animals form affiliative bonds. In particular, what are the neural mechanisms by which these bonds are made and are these basic mechanisms conserved across vertebrate species? The prairie vole has given clues to some of the neurotransmitter systems that are important for pair-bond formation^1,2,3. In particular, dopamine acting through receptors in the nucleus accumbens can induce partner preference in both male and female voles^4,5. It is unclear whether the general pr....

Protocol

All experiments were approved by the Institutional Care and Use Committee of the W.M. Keck Science Department, in accordance to NIH guidelines. All animals used were adults (>90 days post hatch).

1. Construction of Operant Conditioning Chamber

1. Build a testing cage composed of two identical chambers, 15 x 15 x 17 inch³ each (Figure 1A). Make a small door (as an entrance to each chamber) on the side of the cage near the perches by cutting out a small 4.5 x 6 inch² window that is 2.5 inchs away from the center of the cage between the chambers. Use a separate p....

Results

Following the protocol, we found that paired females preferred their partner's song (Figure 2A). There was a significant difference between the side chamber preference during silence to that during song playback (t-test corrected for multiple comparisons; p = 0.004; t = 3.35, df = 16). Thus, the female preferentially triggered the song of her partner in comparison to the song of an unfamiliar male.

Females that were paired with an unfamiliar male .......

Discussion

We describe a method to test the song preference of zebra finches. We used this assay to test the preference of a paired female for her partner's song. In addition, the assay was used to test the effect of dopamine on induction of song preference in naive females. This method is relatively inexpensive and was designed and used by undergraduate students, making it an excellent training tool for students. Several other studies have tested song preference in several song species, making this method useful to many investigat.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
(-)-Quinpirole	sigmaaldrich	Q102
acoustic foam	Coulbourn Instruments, Allentown, PA	H10-24A
audio amplifier - 2 channel	Amazon	Pyle PCAU46A	any small audio amplifier should work
Banner Engineering Q08 Series, emitter. SO60-Q08	https://www.alliedelec.com	Stock #:70659809	photoelectric sensor
Banner Engineering Q08 series, receiver. EO60-Q08-AN6X	https://www.alliedelec.com	Stock #:70699384	photoelectric sensor
Car stereo speakers	Amazon		Pioneer TS - F1643R
Digital I/O card	National Instruments	PCI-6503 or USB-6501
LED lights - under-counter	Amazon
multifunctional ribbon cable	National Instruments	180524-20
sound pressure level meter	Amazon
terminal block	National Instruments	777101-1