Prenatal music stimulation facilitates the postnatal functional development of the auditory as well as visual system in chicks (Gallus domesticus).
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Date
2014-03
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Abstract
Rhythmic sound or music is known to improve cognition in animals and humans. We wanted to evaluate the effects of
prenatal repetitive music stimulation on the remodelling of the auditory cortex and visual Wulst in chicks. Fertilized
eggs (0 day) of white leghorn chicken (Gallus domesticus) during incubation were exposed either to music or no
sound from embryonic day 10 until hatching. Auditory and visual perceptual learning and synaptic plasticity, as
evident by synaptophysin and PSD-95 expression, were done at posthatch days (PH) 1, 2 and 3. The number of
responders was significantly higher in the music stimulated group as compared to controls at PH1 in both auditory and
visual preference tests. The stimulated chicks took significantly lesser time to enter and spent more time in the
maternal area in both preference tests. A significantly higher expression of synaptophysin and PSD-95 was observed
in the stimulated group in comparison to control at PH1-3 both in the auditory cortex and visual Wulst. A significant
inter-hemispheric and gender-based difference in expression was also found in all groups. These results suggest
facilitation of postnatal perceptual behaviour and synaptic plasticity in both auditory and visual systems following
prenatal stimulation with complex rhythmic music.
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Keywords
Auditory cortex, domestic chicks, maternal preference, music stimulation, PDS-95, synaptophysin, visual Wulst
Citation
Roy Saborni, Nag Tapas C, Upadhyay Ashish Datt, Mathur Rashmi, Jain Suman. Prenatal music stimulation facilitates the postnatal functional development of the auditory as well as visual system in chicks (Gallus domesticus). Journal of Biosciences. 2014 Mar; 39(1): 107-117.