Sex differences in dendritic morphology of a song control nucleus in the canary: A quantitative Golgi study

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Abstract
Singing in the canary is a learned male behavior controlled predominantly by nuclei in the left hemisphere [Nottebohm]. These nuclei are several times larger in males than in females (Nottebohm and Arnold). A telencephalic song control nuclei, robustus archistriatalis (RA), was examined in Golgi-stained tissue sections from the left and right hemispheres of male and female canaries. At least 4 cell classes were present in each sex. One of these cell classes was studied with a variety of quantitative techniques. No hemispheric differences were seen in either sex. Dendrites from male cells tended to branch and end further from the cell body than dendrites from female cells. This difference was seen most clearly when serial sections were used to reconstruct the entire dendritic tree.