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Increased yolk progesterone interferes with prenatal auditory learning and elevates emotional reactivity in bobwhite
Joshua Herrington1, Claudia Vallin, Robert Lickliter
1Department of Psychology, Florida International University, FL, USA. Joshuahvt@gmail.com.
Insights
Maternal progesterone in avian eggs can impact chick behavior. Elevated progesterone impaired prenatal auditory learning and increased postnatal emotional reactivity in bobwhite quail.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Behavioral endocrinology
- Avian reproduction
Background:
- Avian eggs contain maternally derived hormones like progesterone.
- The influence of these hormones on early development is not well understood.
- Understanding maternal hormone effects is crucial for avian developmental studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of elevated progesterone on prenatal learning in quail.
- To assess the impact of progesterone on postnatal emotional reactivity in quail.
Main Methods:
- Northern bobwhite quail eggs were injected with progesterone (P) or oil vehicle (V) prior to incubation.
- Control eggs (C) received no injection.
- Chicks were tested using tonic immobility, hole-in-the-wall emergence tasks, and auditory learning preference tests.
Main Results:
- Chicks from progesterone-injected eggs showed higher emotional reactivity in behavioral tasks.
- Progesterone-exposed chicks failed to show preference for a prenatally familiarized maternal call.
- Control and vehicle-injected chicks demonstrated significant prenatal auditory learning.
Conclusions:
- Maternal progesterone influences prenatal perceptual learning in precocial birds.
- Elevated progesterone levels can alter postnatal emotional reactivity.
- These findings highlight the role of maternal hormones in avian behavioral development.
Abstract:
Avian eggs contain maternally derived hormones, including testosterone and progesterone. Little is currently known about the effects of these hormones on early behavioral development. We assessed the effects of elevated levels of progesterone levels on prenatal perceptual learning and postnatal emotional reactivity in Northern bobwhite quail. Prior to incubation, eggs received an injection of either progesterone (P) or oil vehicle (V). In P eggs, levels of progesterone were elevated two standard deviations above the mean based on ELISA analysis of progesterone yolk concentrations from a previous study. A third group of eggs served as controls and received no injection (C). Chicks hatched from P eggs displayed elevated levels of emotional reactivity compared to V and C chicks in a tonic immobility task and a hole-in-the-wall emergence task. Chicks from P eggs also failed to demonstrate a preference for a familiarized bobwhite maternal call that had been presented prenatally. In contrast, the V and C chicks demonstrated a significant preference for the familiarized maternal call following hatching, indicating prenatal auditory learning. Our results are consistent with previous findings from precocial birds demonstrating that hormones of maternal origin can influence prenatal perceptual learning as well as emotional reactivity in the period following hatching..
