Light-dependent development of the tectorotundal projection in pigeons

Left-right differences in the structural and functional organization of the brain are widespread in the animal kingdom and develop in close gene-environment interactions. The visual system of birds like chicks and pigeons exemplifies how sensory experience shapes lateralized visual processing. Owing to an asymmetrical posture of the embryo in the egg, the right eye/ left brain side is more strongly light-stimulated what triggers asymmetrical differentiation processes leading to a left-hemispheric dominance for visuomotor control. In pigeons (Columba livia), a critical neuroanatomical element is the asymmetrically organized tectofugal pathway. Here, more fibres cross from the right tectum to the left rotundus than vice versa. In the current study, we tested whether the emergence of this projection asymmetry depends on embryonic light stimulation by tracing tectorotundal neurons in pigeons with and without lateralized embryonic light experience. The quantitative tracing pattern confirmed higher bilateral innervation of the left rotundus in light-exposed and thus, asymmetrically light-stimulated pigeons. This was the same in light-deprived pigeons. Here, however, also the right rotundus received an equally strong bilateral input. This suggests that embryonic light stimulation does not increase bilateral tectal innervation of the stronger stimulated left but rather decreases such an input pattern to the right brain side. Combined with a morphometric analysis, our data indicate that embryonic photic stimulation specifically affects differentiation of the contralateral cell population. Differential modification of ipsi- and contralateral tectorotundal connections could have important impact on the regulation of intra- and interhemispheric information transfer and ultimately on hemispheric dominance pattern during visual processing.