Changes of nitric oxide synthase activity in response to different levels of social separation in two day old domestic chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus)
✍ Scribed by Mikhail Onufriev; Mikhail Stepanichev; Jörg Bock; Natalia Gulyaeva; Gerd Poeggel; Katharina Braun
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2000
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 936 KB
- Volume
- 27
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0893-6609
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✦ Synopsis
An increase of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was found in the brain of few day old chicks after exposure to different social stress situations. The cerebellum, which showed the highest NOS activity, displayed the most sensitive response. Increases of NOS activity were found in the chronically separated (all regions) and in the acutely separated animals (cerebellum). In the cerebellum and the midbrain/brainstem/tectum NOS activity was significantly different also between the chronically separated and chronically isolated groups. NOS activity was higher in the cerebellum of the acutely separated group compared to the chronically isolated and social controls, a similar trend was found in the midbrain/brainstem/tectum sample, the values in the forebrain remained unchanged. Chronic isolation did not induce significant changes of NOS activity. These data confirm that the newborn chick is a suitable model for the experimental investigation of stressinduced alterations of brain maturation and behavioural development.