Attenuation of gonadal response to photostimulation following ablation of neurons in the lateral septal organ of chicks

Many avian species in temperate zones respond to long photoperiods by showing recrudescence of gonads. Compelling evidence show that non-retinal, non-pineal photoreceptors exist in the avian brain. Within the ventral forebrain are specialized neurons that respond to light found in the medial portion of a circumventricular organ called the lateral septal organ (LSO). The objective of this study was to examine whether the integrity of the LSO was critical for rapid gonadal development in young male chicks placed under long day photostimulation. Birds were initially kept on a short photoperiod (LD 8:16) until 2 weeks of age, at which time bilateral electrolytic lesions were administered to the LSO. After surgery, birds were transferred to a long photoperiod (LD 16:8) and fed a chick starter diet containing 0.2% sulfamethazine (SMZ). The combination of a long day plus SMZ is known to stimulate sexual maturation in male chicks. In four separate experiments conducted to date, bilateral lesions directed to the LSO and lesions that missed and were placed caudal and ventral to the target resulted in a significant decrease in testes weight, compared to sham-operated controls (P < 0.05). Results suggest that neurons in the LSO may be directly involved in responding to long photoperiods and stimulating gonadal development in broiler chicks.