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Training-induced increases in neuronal activity recorded from the forebrain of the day-old chick are time dependent
J Gigg1, T A Patterson, S P Rose
1Brain and Behaviour Research Group, Open University, Milton Keynes, U.K.
Insights
Day-old chicks trained to avoid a methylanthranilate-coated bead showed increased neuronal bursting in the forebrain compared to control chicks. This bursting pattern, particularly in the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale, has a temporal aspect relevant to memory formation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Learning and Memory
Background:
- Spontaneous neuronal bursting is a common phenomenon in avian forebrain regions.
- Learning and memory processes are associated with changes in neuronal activity patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of a one-trial avoidance learning task on spontaneous neuronal bursting in the chick forebrain.
- To determine the temporal dynamics of training-induced neuronal bursting in specific forebrain areas.
Main Methods:
- Day-old chicks were trained in a one-trial avoidance task using methylanthranilate-coated beads (methyl-chicks) or water-coated beads (water-chicks).
- Neuronal bursting activity was recorded from the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale in anaesthetized chicks at multiple time points (1-9 hours post-training).
Main Results:
- Methyl-chicks exhibited significantly increased neuronal bursting in the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale and lobus parolfactorius compared to water-chicks.
- This increase in bursting was most pronounced between 3-7 hours post-training, peaking at 6-7 hours, indicating a temporal component.
Conclusions:
- Training-induced neuronal bursting in the chick forebrain is not a uniform increase but exhibits a specific temporal profile.
- The findings support the role of neuronal bursting in the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale in memory formation processes in chicks.
Abstract:
Spontaneous neuronal bursting occurs in many areas of chick forebrain. Day-old chicks trained using a one-trial task to avoid a methylanthranilate-coated bead (methyl-chicks) show a significant increase in bursting when compared to chicks trained to peck a water-coated bead (water-chicks). This increase occurs in two forebrain areas: the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale and the lobus parolfactorius. Bursting was recorded from the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale of anaesthetized methyl- and water-chicks at eight time-points over the period 1-9 h post-test. Data merged over this period showed that methyl-chicks displayed an overall increase in bursting in both left and right hemispheres when compared to water-chicks. When burst activity was compared against time, bursting in methyl-chicks was significantly elevated only during the period 3-7 h post-test. Maximal bursting in methyl-chicks was seen 6-7 h post-test. These results suggest that the training-induced increase in bursting seen in the intermediate medial hyperstriatum ventrale of methyl-chicks is not a simple, generalized increase with time but rather has a significant temporal aspect. These results may have particular relevance to previously proposed models of memory formation in the chick.