title: Changes in catecholamines and dopaminergic metabolites in pigeon brain during development from the late embryonic stage toward hatch.
abstract: While brain development during embryogenesis has been extensively studied in precocial birds, there is no information available on altricial birds. Thus, the concentrations of the catecholamines norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), and dopamine (DA), and the dopaminergic metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid (HVA) were determined at several stages during the late embryonic period (E13, E14, E15, E16, E17 and E18) and the day-of-hatch (P0) in the pigeon telencephalon, cerebellum, optic lobe, and brainstem. The concentrations of all catecholamines were higher than those reported in chicken embryos. During embryogenesis, NE, E, DOPAC and HVA concentrations in the various brain parts increased throughout embryonic development until shortly before hatching at which time they decreased. DA, however, continued to increase through hatching in the brainstem, and the changes in DA concentrations varied in several brain parts. In conclusion, catecholamine concentrations in the various brain parts tended to increase with embryonic age, and the concentrations were higher than those in chickens. Furthermore, brain catcholamine metabolism changed at hatch in pigeons.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Animal and Marine Bioresources, Graduate School of Bioresources and Bioenvironmental Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Izumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Tomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Daichi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oikawa
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koutoku
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: Shozo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomonaga
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Denbow
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furuse
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D010856:Columbidae / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000378:metabolism; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine