c-fos Gene expression parallels auditory adaptation in the adult rat

• Published in: Brain research Vol. 839; no. 2; pp. 292 - 297
• Main Authors: Kandiel, Ahmed, Chen, Suzanne, E. Hillman, Dean
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier B.V 28.08.1999; Amsterdam Elsevier; New York, NY
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation; Adaptation, Physiological - physiology; Age Factors; Anatomical correlates of behavior; Animals; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Chemistry - physiology; Cochlear nuclei; Cochlear Nucleus - chemistry; Cochlear Nucleus - physiology; Conditioning (Psychology) - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression - physiology; Habituation; Habituation, Psychophysiologic - physiology; Learning; Memory; Memory - physiology; Plasticity; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos - genetics; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rats; Learning; Cochlear nuclei; Memory; Plasticity; Habituation; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Cochlear nucleus; Gene expression; Novelty stimulus; Vertebrata; Hearing; Mammalia; Acoustic stimulus; Animal; Auditory pathway; Protooncogene; Brain (vertebrata); Adaptation; Immediate early gene
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-8993(99)01735-7

This study investigated the pattern of c-fos gene expression corresponding with auditory adaptation to novel sound. Using six groups of adult rats (naive control, 1 h, and 1, 2, 3, and 4 days of continuous stimulation), we quantified c-fos expressing cells in the dorsal and ventral cochlear nuclei and found a 54 fold increase in 1 h following novel sound stimuli. The number of reactive cells decreased sharply within 24 h and nearly disappeared by 96 h. Our results reveal that c-fos gene expression in the adult rat is attenuated in parallel with the expected auditory adaptation to novel sounds indicating an association with auditory learning and memory.