The involvement of the olfactory bulbs in the regulation of gonadal and thyroidal activities of male red-winged blackbirds, exposed to short-day light regime

Surgical removal of the olfactory bulbs (OB) was performed in mature male red-winged blackbirds, maintained under a short-day light regime. Bulbectomy caused hyperphagia, which was not accompanied by obesity. Bulbectomized (OBX) birds had increased thyroid follicular activity and had greater developed testes than sham-operated controls. In the adenohypophyses of the OB-removed birds there was an increase in the populations of 4 types of chromophils: alcianophils, PAS-positive basophils, orangeophils and PAS-positive acidophils. The possibility that the OB are involved in the photoperiodic regulation of the activity of the gonads and thyroids is discussed.