Training-induced increases in neuronal activity recorded from the forebrain of the day-old chick are time dependent.
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.
Gigg
J
J
Brain and Behaviour Research Group, Open University, Milton Keynes, U.K.
Patterson
T A
TA
Rose
S P
SP
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D002645:Chickens; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D004594:Electrophysiology; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water; D062367:ortho-Aminobenzoates / Q000494:pharmacology
D062367:ortho-Aminobenzoates; D014867:Water; C038892:methyl anthranilate