RRC ID 37920
Author Aoki N, Yamaguchi S, Kitajima T, Takehara A, Katagiri-Nakagawa S, Matsui R, Watanabe D, Matsushima T, Homma KJ.
Title Critical role of the neural pathway from the intermediate medial mesopallium to the intermediate hyperpallium apicale in filial imprinting of domestic chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus).
Journal Neuroscience
Abstract Filial imprinting in precocial birds is a useful model for studying early learning and cognitive development, as it is characterized by a well-defined sensitive or critical period. We recently showed that the thyroid hormone 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) determines the onset of the sensitive period. Moreover, exogenous injection of T3 into the intermediate medial mesopallium (IMM) region (analogous to the associative cortex in mammals) enables imprinting even on post-hatch day 4 or 6 when the sensitive period has been terminated. However, the neural mechanisms downstream from T3 action in the IMM region remain elusive. Here, we analyzed the functional involvement of the intermediate hyperpallium apicale (IMHA) in T3 action. Bilateral excitotoxic ablation of the IMHA prevented imprinting in newly hatched chicks, and also suppressed the recovery of the sensitive period by systemic intra-venous or localized intra-IMM injection of T3 in day-4 chicks. In contrast to the effect in the IMM, direct injection of T3 into the IMHA did not enable imprinting in day-4 chicks. Moreover, bilateral ablation of IMHA after imprinting training impaired recall. These results suggest that the IMHA is critical for memory acquisition downstream following T3 action in the IMM and further, that it receives and retains information stored in the IMM for recall. Furthermore, both an avian adeno-associated viral construct containing an anterograde tracer (wheat-germ agglutinin) and a retrograde tracer (cholera toxin subunit B) revealed neural connections from the IMM to the IMHA. Taken together, our findings suggest that hierarchical processes from the primary area (IMM) to the secondary area (IMHA) are required for imprinting.
Volume 308
Pages 115-24
Published 2015-11-12
DOI 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.09.014
PII S0306-4522(15)00824-6
PMID 26362886
MeSH Animals Behavior, Animal / physiology* Brain / growth & development* Brain / physiology* Brain / physiopathology Chickens Critical Period, Psychological Ibotenic Acid Immunoblotting Imprinting, Psychological / physiology* Mental Recall / physiology Models, Animal Neural Pathways / growth & development Neural Pathways / physiology Neural Pathways / physiopathology Neuroanatomical Tract-Tracing Techniques
IF 3.056
Times Cited 15
WOS Category NEUROSCIENCES
Resource
Human and Animal Cells 293T(RCB2202)