Effects of Dark Rearing and Light Exposure on Memory for a Passive Avoidance Task in Day-Old Chicks

Light exposure during embryogenesis is necessary for functional and morphological maturation in the domestic chick. In the present study, dark incubation was demonstrated to induce a weak amnestic effect on retention for a passive avoidance task and a diminution in discriminative memory ability in day-old chicks. Putative explanations based on possible motor, attentional, or visual impairment were excluded. Light exposure of dark-reared eggs, specifically during embryonic days E19 to E20, alleviated the retention and discrimination deficits. The processes which might mediate between prehatch light stimulation and posthatch behavioral effects are discussed.