Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Prenatal Sensory Stimulation Induces BDNF Gene Expression in the Brain and Potentiates the Development of Species-Specific Predisposition in Newborn Chicks

  • GENETICS
  • Published:
Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Aims and scope

We studied the effects of light and non-specific sound stimulation of domestic chick embryos on their filial preference as well as on the expression of two transcriptional factors c-Fos and Egr-1 and neurotrophin BDNF in the embryo brain. Prenatal light stimulation increased preference of the “natural” object, thus producing a priming effect. In the brain of E19 embryos, c-Fos and Egr-1 were expressed at a high basal level and neither light nor sound stimulation affected the number of cells expressing these factors. BDNF mRNA was also present in a number of brain areas of non-stimulated embryos, but light and sound stimulation enhanced the expression of BDNF mRNA in brain structures associated with filial imprinting. These findings suggest that BDNF is probably involved in the effects of prenatal priming on the development of species-specific behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Egorova OV, Anokhin KV. Experimental analysis of systemogenesis: c-Fos expression in chick brain after priming stimuli inducing development of a species-specific acceptor of action results. Zh. Vessh. Nervn. Deyat. 2002;52(1):63-70. Russian.

  2. Alladi PA, Roy T, Singh N, Wadhwa S. Developmentally regulated expression of c-Fos and c-Jun in the brainstem auditory nuclei of Gallus domesticus is modified by prenatal auditory enrichment. J. Neurobiol. 2005;62(1):92-105.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Anokhin KV. Memory consolidation: narrowing the gap between systems and molecular genetics neurosciences. Complex Brain Functions: Conceptual Advances in Russian Neuroscience. Miller R, Ivanitsky AM, Balaban PM, eds. Amsterdam, 2005. P. 51-71.

  4. Berardi N, Maffei L. From visual experience to visual function: roles of neurotrophins. J. Neurobiol. 1999;41(1):119-126.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Bolhuis JJ, Honey RC. Imprinting, learning and development: from behaviour to brain and back. Trends Neurosci. 1998;21(7):306-311.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Bredenkötter M, Braun K. Development of neuronal responsiveness in the mediorostral neostriatum/hyperstriatum ventrale during auditory filial imprinting in domestic chicks. Neurobiol. Learn. Mem. 2000;73(2):114-126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Horn G, Nicol AU, Brown MW. Tracking memory’s trace. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA. 2001;98(9):5282-5287.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Panicker H, Wadhwa S, Roy TS. Effect of prenatal sound stimulation on medio-rostral neostriatum/hyperstriatum ventrale region of chick forebrain: a morphometric and immunohistochemical study. J. Chem. Neuroanat. 2002;24(2):127-135.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Rogers LJ. Development and function of lateralization in the avian brain. Brain Res. Bull. 2008;76(3):235-244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Roy S, Nag TC, Upadhyay AD, Mathur R, Jain S. Prenatal music stimulation facilitates the postnatal functional development of the auditory as well as visual system in chicks (Gallus domesticus). J. Biosci. 2014;39(1):107-117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Roy S, Sharma HP, Nag TC, Velpandian T, Upadhyay AD, Mathur R, Jain S. 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;109:99-108.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Sleigh MJ, Lickliter R. Augmented prenatal visual stimulation alters postnatal auditory and visual responsiveness in bobwhite quail chicks. Dev. Psychobiol. 1995;28(7):353-366.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Suzuki K, Maekawa F, Suzuki S, Nakamori T, Sugiyama H, Kanamatsu T, Tanaka K, Ohki-Hamazaki H. Elevated expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor facilitates visual imprinting in chicks. J. Neurochem. 2012;123(5):800-810.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Yamaguchi S, Aoki N, Kobayashi D, Kitajima T, Iikubo E, Katagiri S, Matsushima T, Homma KJ. Activation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tropomyosin-related kinase B signaling accompanying filial imprinting in domestic chicks (Gallus domesticus). Neuroreport. 2011;22(17):929-934.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. P. K. Anokhin Research Institute of Normal Physiology, Moscow, Russia

    A. A. Tiunova, N. V. Komissarova & K. V. Anokhin

  2. Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, Russian Federation

    K. V. Anokhin

  3. M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    K. V. Anokhin

Authors
  1. A. A. Tiunova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N. V. Komissarova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. K. V. Anokhin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. A. Tiunova.

Additional information

Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 166, No. 8, pp. 186-190, August, 2018

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tiunova, A.A., Komissarova, N.V. & Anokhin, K.V. Prenatal Sensory Stimulation Induces BDNF Gene Expression in the Brain and Potentiates the Development of Species-Specific Predisposition in Newborn Chicks. Bull Exp Biol Med 166, 229–232 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10517-018-4320-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10517-018-4320-6

Key Words

Search

Navigation