Meeting Abstract

P2.188  Saturday, Jan. 5  Effect of captivity on hippocampal volume of Passer domesticus. PATERSON, T.L.*; DAVIS, J.E.; Radford University tpaterson@radford.edu

The hippocampus plays an important role in memory and learning. The link between chronic exposure to corticosteroids and resultant reductions in hippocampal volume is well-studied in mammals. However, similar studies in passerine species have found little effect of chronic stress on hippocampal size. These studies, however, have relied largely on species that exhibit large amounts of caching behavior, and as such may have a different interaction between memory and stress than species which do not cache. The project described here explores the relationship between stress and hippocampal function in a non-caching passerine. Specifically, we will describe studies exploring the effect of captivity and moderate chronic stress on hippocampal volume in the house sparrow (Passer domesticus).