Many avian species go through circannual changes in reproductive organs. Seasonal changes are triggered by non-visual photostimulation, made possible by the existence of nuclei with containing opsin channels. Photoactivation occurs when photosensitive neurons are stimulated, resulting in a cascade of activity in the brain, which initiates gonadal growth. Photorefraction is on a time-scale much longer than an experiment. We used echo planar imaging fMRI with a laser for stimulation and performed independent component analysis on each phase (before, during, and after stimulation). Network activation patterns differ in each phase.
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