Cholinergic innervation of the song control nuclei by the ventral paleostriatum in the zebra finch: a double-labeling study with retrograde fluorescent tracers and choline acetyltransferase immunohistochemistry

During the sensitive period of song learning, the content of acetylcholine and the enzyme activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) increase remarkably in the song control nuclei of a young male zebra finch. Cholinergic fibers innervate the two main song control nuclei of the forebrain: the higher vocal center (HVC) and the robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA). The present study combines the retrograde tracer, Fluoro-Red (FRe), with ChAT immunohistochemistry. The results indicate that the cholinergic fibers which innervate the RA and HVC originate from the ventral paleostriatum (VP) in the basal forebrain, and that there is an anterior-posterior topography in the location of the cholinergic neurons in the VP that project to the HVC and RA, although there are a few neurons which project to both nuclei. These findings suggest that the VP is homologous to the nucleus basalis of Meynert of the basal forebrain cholinergic system of mammals which is associated with learning and memory processes, and that the cholinergic neurons in the VP play an important role in avian song learning.