The involvement of dopamine in the striatum in passive avoidance training in the chick

• Published in: Neuroscience 1996, Vol.70 (1), p.7-14
• Main Authors: Stewart, M.G., Kabai, P., Harrison, E., Steele, R.J., Kossut, M., Gierdalski, M., Csillag, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Autoradiography; Avoidance Learning - drug effects; Behavioral psychophysiology; Benzazepines - pharmacology; Binding, Competitive; Biological and medical sciences; chick; Chickens; Corpus Striatum - drug effects; dopamine receptors; forebrain; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; IMHV; intermediate and medial hyperstriatum ventrale; learning; lobus parolfactorius (mammalian caudate-putamen); LPO; N-methyl- d-aspartate; Neurotransmission and behavior; NMDA; paleostriatum augmentatum; paleostriatum primitivum; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Receptors, Dopamine - drug effects; Spiperone - pharmacology; substance P
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(95)00345-J

Quantitative receptor autoradiography was used to investigate the distribution of binding of [ 3H]SCH 23390 to dopamine (D 1) and [ 3H]spiroperone to D 2 receptors in regions of the forebrain of the one-day-old domestic chick ( Gallus domesticus). High levels of specific binding of the D 1 and D 2 ligands were found in the striatal regions (paleostriatum augmentatum and lobus parolfactorius) of the one-day-old chick, as reported previously in the pigeon, turtle and rat, whilst binding levels were considerably lower in the pallidum (paleostriatum primitivum), hippocampus and hyperstriatum ventrale. The proportions of D 1 and D 2 receptor binding in the chick were relatively similar in the striatum and pallidum, apart from the paleostriatum augmentatum, where D 2 receptors outnumber those of D 1 by a factor of two. Binding of the D 1 and D 2 ligands to forebrain regions was also investigated 30 min after one-trial passive avoidance training of one-day-old chicks in which the aversive stimulus was a bead coated with a bitter tasting substance, methyl anthranilate. These experiments demonstrated a large and highly significant bilateral increase (compared to control birds) in binding to D 1 (but not D 2) receptors in the lobus parolfactorius. In this striatal region, equivalent to the caudate-putamen of mammals, previous studies have shown that synaptic and dendritic alterations occur following avoidance training. It is concluded that alterations in dopamine binding may be involved in processes that result in modification of the pecking response in chicks after avoidance training.