Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide plays a role in olfactory memory formation in chicken.
PACAP plays an important role during development of the nervous system and is also involved in memory processing. The aim of the present study was to investigate the function of PACAP in chicken embryonic olfactory memory formation by blocking PACAP at a sensitive period in ovo. Chicken were exposed daily to strawberry scent in ovo from embryonic day 15. Control eggs were treated only with saline, while other eggs received a single injection of the PACAP antagonist PACAP6-38 at day 15. The consumption of scented and unscented water was measured daily after hatching. Animals exposed to strawberry scent in ovo showed no preference. However, chickens exposed to PACAP6-38, showed a clear preference for plain water, similarly to unexposed chicken. Our present study points to PACAP's possible importance in embryonic olfactory memory formation.
Józsa
Rita
R
Department of Anatomy, Pécs University Medical Faculty and Neurohumoral Regulations Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 7624 Pecs, Szigeti u 12, Hungary.
Hollósy
Tibor
T
Tamás
Andrea
A
Tóth
Gábor
G
Lengvári
István
I
Reglodi
Dóra
D
D000818:Animals; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002645:Chickens; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012903:Smell / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D010446:Peptide Fragments; D051219:Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide; C075647:pituitary adenylate-cyclase-activating-peptide (6-38)