Meeting Abstract

P2.111  Friday, Jan. 4  Effects of Acute Corticosterone Treatment on Learning and Memory in Captive White-Crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii) BAUER, C.B.*; DAVIS, J.E.; WINGFIELD, J.C.; University of Washington; University of California Davis; University of California Davis bauerc@u.washington.edu

Corticosterone (CORT) has multiple effects in the white-crowned sparrow (WCS), including suppression of reproductive behavior, increased activity and altered metabolic functions. The effects of acute CORT (i.e. transitory treatment) on cognition have also been examined in a variety of species. In the WCS, arrival on arctic breeding grounds may require learning the precise locations of food patches at a time when weather is severe and snow may cover resources. Previous experiments in our laboratory have indicated that chronically administered CORT can improve learning acquisition in the WCS. The focus of the current study was to explore the effects of acute CORT treatment on learning and recall in captive housed WCS. We tested learning and recall using a Y-maze protocol. CORT was administered non-invasively by feeding birds mealworms injected with CORT dissolved in peanut oil. WCS were split into groups, which were given CORT during either i) learning trials, or ii) recall trials, or iii) were not given CORT. Contrary to expectations based on our previous chronic CORT studies, acute CORT impaired task performance. Specifically, WCS that were administered CORT during either the learning or recall trials had longer escape times compared to control birds.