Lauren Costa

Sharon Gill

Michaela Hau

Nicole Perfito

Laura Spinney

Jim Adelman

Past Lab Members:

Kate Beebe

Virginie Canoine

Sara O'Brien

Virginie Canoine

Postdoctoral Fellow

Research Interests: My main research interest is the hormonal regulation of aggressive behavior in birds, which might differ between species, individuals, context, seasons and environments. In many bird species males establish a territory to defend resources such as food or nesting sites in order to increase survival and/or reproductive success.

In bird species breeding in temperate zones aggressive and reproductive behaviors are regulated by seasonally fluctuating androgens produced in the gonads. However tropical bird species express aggressive behavior throughout the year although plasma levels of androgen remain basal and do not vary seasonally. It might be that tropical bird species have evolved a mechanism controlling aggressive behavior that differs from those of temperate zone birds.

This issue has been investigated in the Spotted Antbird. This bird species breeds seasonally and shows clear seasonal cycles in gonadal size and LH production. Spotted Antbirds are aggressive year round, although plasma levels of T are basal or non-detectable most time of the year. Hau et al. (2000) have shown that in the spotted Antbird androgens are involved in the control of aggressive behavior in a reproductive context.

The focus of my work is to study whether in Spotted Antbirds the control mechanism of aggressive behavior differs seasonally (as in temperate zone birds). Moreover we are asking if aggressive behavior is regulated by androgens (or other hormones) that derive from other sources than the gonads.

Recent studies have shown that the avian brain contains almost all enzymes necessary to produce sex steroids (link to Barney Schlinger). Using molecular techniques I am studying the activity and expression of steroidogenic enzymes in the brain, adrenal and gonads of both male and female spotted Antbirds in relation to reproductive condition and seasons.

In the present work I am investigating in the neuroendocrine control mechanisms of aggressive behavior in a tropical bird, the Spotted Antbird in collaboration with Barney Schlinger.

Mailing Address:
UCLA
Department of Physiological Science
Charles Young Drive South
Los Angeles, CA 90095

E-mail: vcanoine@physci.ucla.edu

Education:
M.Sc., Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (Biology) “Activational effects of gonadal steroids on the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal-axis on rats." Max-Planck-Institute for Psychiatry, Munich, Germany, Advisor: Dr. O.F.X. Almeida.

Ph.D., Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (Biology)
“Seasonal differences in the endocrine control of aggressive behaviour in captive and freeliving stonechats.” Max-Planck-Research-Centre for Ornithology, Andechs, Germany, Supervisor: Prof. E. Gwinner.

Publications:
Canoine, V., Hayden, T.J., Rowe, K. & Goymann, W. (in press). The maximal stress response of European stonechats depends on the type of stressor. Behaviour.

Canoine, V. & Gwinner, E. 2002. Seasonal differences in the hormonal control of territorial aggression in free living European Stonechats. Hormones and Behavior 41:1-8.

Almeida, O. F. X., Canoine, V., Ali, S., Holsboer, F. & Patchev, V.K. 1997. Activational Effects of Gonadal Steroids on Hypothalamo-Pituitary- Adrenal Regulation in the Rat Disclosed by Response to Dexamethasone Supression. Journal of Neuroendocrinology 9:129-134.

Published Abstracts:
Canoine, V. & Gwinner, E. 2002. Seasonality in androgenic control of aggressive behavior in captive European Stonechats (Saxicola torquata). Hormones & Behavior 41: 446.

Canoine, V., Van't Hof, T. & Gwinner, E. 2000. Stress-response in Stonechats: seasonal and sexual differences. Joint meeting of the VIth International Conference on Hormones, Brain and Behavior and The Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Madrid, Spain, 2000.

Canoine, V. & Gwinner, E. 1999. Are androgens involved in territorial aggression in the stonechat? Proc. Meeting of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Charlottesville, VA, USA, 1999.

Raess M., Rödl, T., Canoine, V. & Van't Hof, T. 1998. Is singing in wintering common stonechats (Saxicola torquata) associated with territory density? In : Adams, N.J. and R.H. Slotow (eds). Proc. XXII Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban, South Africa, 1998. Ostrich 69:265, 1998.

Patchev,V.K., Canoine V. & Almeida O.F.X. 1994. Discrimination thresholds for reading glucocorticoid feedback signals in the rat brain: The contribution of gonadal steroids. Proc. IX Int. Congr. on Hormonal Steroids, Dallas, Texas, USA, 1994.

Patchev, V.K., Hayashi S., Canoine V., Gärtner P. & Almeida O.F.X. 1994. Gender differences in HPA-Regulation: Organizing and Activating Effects of Gonadal Hormones. Proc. I World Congr. on Stress, Bethesa, MD, USA, 1994.