2023-11-10 23:00:00
The international academic journal ‘Nature’ featured on its cover this week an image of two golden flowers interacting with their beaks touching. The male may appear to be courting the female. The bird with a black pattern on the forechest is a male.
The wild original species of the golden flower was first discovered in Europe in the early 19th century. Today, they are popular as pet birds. It mainly eats plant seeds and does not eat food even during the breeding season. Goldfinch birds are known to adapt well to narrow metal cages and get along well with other birds in their flock without friction. One of their biggest characteristics is that they sing loudly when courting.
A joint research team led by Professor Jesse Goldberg of Cornell University published in Nature the results of a study confirming changes in the dopamine signal of goldfinch birds when each activity that stimulates the brain’s reward circuit, such as drinking, singing, and courtship, is performed. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is secreted when experiencing pleasure. It has been a mystery in the academic world whether there is a ‘priority’ in the secretion of dopamine when there are various pleasurable experiences.
The research team observed how dopamine signals change when goldfinch birds experience various pleasures. Analysis using fiber photometry showed that dopamine responses fluctuated depending on the bird’s current priorities. For example, when males focused on courting a female, their dopamine response to song as well as their desire for water decreased.
The male’s dopamine signal also changed rapidly depending on the female goldfinch’s response. In the process of social communication through singing, changes occurred in the positive release of dopamine. The explanation is that dopamine signals can change due to sound stimulation. The research team also explained that this shows that priorities for feeling pleasure can change in real time. The research team added, “We confirmed that social interaction can be an important factor in dopamine secretion.”
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