BDNF mediated activity dependent maturation of visual Wulst following prenatal repetitive auditory stimulation at a critical developmental period in domestic chicks (Gallus domesticus).

BDNF mediated activity dependent maturation of visual Wulst following prenatal repetitive auditory stimulation at a critical developmental period in domestic chicks (Gallus domesticus). Brain Res Bull. 2014 Oct 8; Authors: Roy S, Sharma HP, Nag TC, Velpandian T, Upadhyay AD, Mathur R, Jain S Abstract The developing visual circuitry attains its mature adult pattern through the process of activity-dependent refinement in which photic stimulation plays the major role. However, auditory stimulation can also facilitate the developing visual Wulst synaptic plasticity and postnatal perceptual behavior, though the underlying mechanism is unclear. We exposed the fertilized eggs of white Leghorn chickens during incubation to either species-specific calls or no sound for varying time periods depending on the functional development of the auditory and/or visual systems. The visual evoked potential (VEP) from the Wulst was recorded at embryonic days (E) 19, 20 and posthatch days (PH) 1-3, to assess functional maturation. A significant attenuation in latencies and higher amplitudes at PH1-3 in the stimulated groups that received exposure during visual system maturation, suggest beneficial effect of auditory inputs only during critical periods. Concomitant with this, there was a significant increase in the expression of BDNF and levels of neurotransmitters GABA, glutamate, norepinephrine and serotonin from E18 only in both hemispheres of the visual...
Source: Brain Research Bulletin - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: research
More News: Brain | Neurology