title: BDNF mediated activity dependent maturation of visual Wulst following prenatal repetitive auditory stimulation at a critical developmental period in domestic chicks (Gallus domesticus).
abstract: The developing visual circuitry attains its mature adult pattern through the process of activity-dependent refinement in which photic stimulation plays the major role. However, auditory stimulation can also facilitate the developing visual Wulst synaptic plasticity and postnatal perceptual behavior, though the underlying mechanism is unclear. We exposed the fertilized eggs of white Leghorn chickens during incubation to either species-specific calls or no sound for varying time periods depending on the functional development of the auditory and/or visual systems. The visual evoked potential (VEP) from the Wulst was recorded at embryonic days (E) 19, 20 and posthatch days (PH) 1-3, to assess functional maturation. A significant attenuation in latencies and higher amplitudes at PH1-3 in the stimulated groups that received exposure during visual system maturation, suggest beneficial effect of auditory inputs only during critical periods. Concomitant with this, there was a significant increase in the expression of BDNF and levels of neurotransmitters GABA, glutamate, norepinephrine and serotonin from E18 only in both hemispheres of the visual Wulst. A significant inter-hemispheric difference in expression was also found in all groups. These results suggest the role of BDNF in activity driven structural and functional maturation of the visual system following prenatal repetitive auditory stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: roysaborni@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Saborni
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: Department of Ocular Pharmacology & Pharmacy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: coolhanusharma@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hanuman Prasad
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: tapas_nag@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Tapas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Nag
authors.affiliation: Department of Ocular Pharmacology & Pharmacy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: tvelpandian@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Thirumurthy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Velpandian
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: aduaiims@rediffmail.com.
authors.forename: Ashish Datt
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Upadhyay
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: mathurashmi@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: Rashmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mathur
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: sumanjain10@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Suman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jain
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000162:Acoustics; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D008297:Male; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents
keywords: Activity dependent plasticity; BDNF; Domestic chicks; Prenatal auditory stimulation; Visual evoked potential