Embryonic Exposure to Valproic Acid Impairs Social Predispositions of Newly-Hatched Chicks

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Ex Vivo Expansion of Hematopoietic Stem Cells from Human Umbilical Cord Blood-derived CD34+ Cells Using Valproic Acid
10:42

Ex Vivo Expansion of Hematopoietic Stem Cells from Human Umbilical Cord Blood-derived CD34+ Cells Using Valproic Acid

Published on: April 11, 2019

10.6K

Paola Sgadò1, Orsola Rosa-Salva2, Elisabetta Versace2,3

  • 1Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Piazza della Manifattura 1, Rovereto, Italy. paola.sgado@unitn.it.

Scientific Reports
|April 14, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Valproic acid (VPA) exposure in embryos disrupts innate social attention in chicks, mirroring early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This highlights VPA

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Early social attention to visual cues like faces is crucial for social development.
  • Impaired social predispositions are observed in infants at high risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of embryonic valproic acid (VPA) exposure on innate social predispositions in a domestic chick model.
  • To determine if VPA affects specific biologically-driven social orienting mechanisms relevant to ASD.

Main Methods:

  • Domestic chicks were exposed to VPA during embryonic development.
  • Spontaneous social approach responses were measured using a face-like stimulus versus a scrambled control.
  • Filial imprinting, an experience-dependent learning mechanism, was also assessed.

Main Results:

  • VPA-treated chicks showed a complete absence of approach behavior towards the face-like stimulus.
  • This impairment in social predisposition was specific, as VPA did not affect filial imprinting.
  • Results suggest VPA disrupts innate social orienting mechanisms.

Conclusions:

  • Embryonic VPA exposure specifically abolishes biologically-predisposed social orienting in chicks.
  • This provides a model for studying early neurobiological mechanisms underlying ASD-related social deficits.
  • Findings open avenues for research into early ASD interventions.

More Related Videos

Probing the Roles of Physical Forces in Early Chick Embryonic Morphogenesis06:33

Probing the Roles of Physical Forces in Early Chick Embryonic Morphogenesis

Published on: June 5, 2018

7.7K
Modeling Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Zebrafish to Characterize the Impact of an Adverse Embryonic Environment on Adult Social Behavior04:58

Modeling Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Zebrafish to Characterize the Impact of an Adverse Embryonic Environment on Adult Social Behavior

Published on: February 9, 2024

700

Related Concept Videos

Social Proof00:52

Social Proof

Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
32.4K
Social Scripts02:10

Social Scripts

People tend to know what behavior is expected of them in specific, familiar settings. A script is a person’s knowledge about the sequence of events expected in a specific setting (Schank & Abelson, 1977). Essentially, scripts are a particular kind of schema, one containing default values for the features within an event. In the restaurant example, the script's features include the props (e.g., tables, menu, food, and money), the roles to be played (e.g., customer and waiter),...
10.3K
Social Traps01:41

Social Traps

Social traps are negative situations where people get caught in a direction or relationship that later proves to be unpleasant, with no easy way to back out of or avoid. The concept was orignally introduced by John Platt who applied psychology to Garrett Hardin's "Tragedy of the Commons", where in New England herd owners could let their cattle graze in the common ground. This situation seems like a good idea, but an individual could have an advantage. If they owned...
27.0K
Social Facilitation01:04

Social Facilitation

Not all intergroup interactions lead to negative outcomes. Sometimes, being in a group situation can improve performance. Social facilitation occurs when an individual performs better when an audience is watching than when the individual performs the behavior alone. This typically occurs when people are performing a task for which they are skilled.
36.6K
Social Loafing01:37

Social Loafing

Another way in which a group presence can affect performance is social loafing—the exertion of less effort by a person working together with a group. Social loafing occurs when our individual performance cannot be evaluated separately from the group. Thus, group performance declines on easy tasks (Karau & Williams, 1993). Essentially individual group members loaf and let other group members pick up the slack. Because each individual’s efforts cannot be evaluated,...
39.7K
Social Exchange Theory02:06

Social Exchange Theory

We have discussed why we form relationships, what attracts us to others, and different types of love. But what determines whether we are satisfied with and stay in a relationship? One theory that provides an explanation is social exchange theory. According to social exchange theory, we act as naïve economists in keeping a tally of the ratio of costs and benefits of forming and maintaining a relationship with others (Rusbult & Van Lange, 2003).
40.8K