Dose Response Study of Masculinizing Effects of Estradiol (E 2 )

1. Dose Response Study ofMasculinizing Effects of Estradiol (E2) Student Goals: to see if we can replicate sex differences to gauge the sensitivity of the female zebra finch song system to E2 to investigate if masculinization was an all-or-none event once a threshold was reached or show a graded response to determine if different parts of the song system show differential sensitivity to E2 to determine if any of our doses of E2 fully sex reversed the song system

2. Groups • one group of control males (implants, no hormone) • one group of control females (implants, no hormone) • one group of females treated with 5 μg of E2 • one group of females treated with 15 μg of E2 • one group of females treated with 50 μg of E2

3. Birds were implanted on the day they hatched and sacrificed at 100 days of age when they are fully adult.

4. Dependent Variables • Volume of Area X • Volume of HVC • Volume of RA

5. What sort of design is this? • Between or within? • How many factors? • Is sex a factor? • Is estrogen treatment a factor? • How many levels?

6. Blind Blind

7. Posterior Anterior

9. Posterior Anterior

11. Posterior Anterior

15. Summary Lab 1 • Our study will examine 4 different doses of E2 (including zero) administered at hatching to females. A group of control males will also be included. • Birds were sacrificed in adulthood at 100 days. • Dependent variables are volumes of song nuclei Area X, HVC, and RA. • We will use an ANOVA with post-hoc tests.