Mitochondrial proteins, learning and memory: biochemical specialization of a memory system

▶The left IMM in the chick brain is a memory store for the learning process of imprinting. ▶We find that amounts of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) subunits I and II (CO-I and -II) increase with learning. ▶The increases are present in the left but not in the right IMM nor in two other brain regions. ▶Across trained and untrained chicks amounts of CO-I and -II are strongly correlated, but only in the left IMM. ▶We suggest that COX is precociously developed in the left IMM of young chicks as a specialization for early learning.