Statistic parametric mapping of changes in gene activity in animal brain during acoustic stimulation

We analyzed the expression of transcription factor c-Fos induced by neural activity in the mouse brain after acoustic stimulation. The brain sections of the animals subjected to acoustic stimulation and controls were immunohistochemically stained for c-Fos protein. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was used to identify group differences in the acquired images. c-Fos expression was significantly higher in the auditory cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus CA3 area after tone presentation. The proposed combination of SPM with molecular-biological approach to visualization of transcription in the nerve cells makes it possible to identify the collaborative activation of distant brain structures assumed to be the components of united functional systems.