In different vertebrate species, hippocampus plays a crucial role for spatial orientation. However, even though cognitive lateralization is widespread in the animal kingdom, the lateralization of this hippocampal function has been poorly studied. The aim of the present study was to investigate the lateralization of hippocampal activation in domestic chicks, during spatial navigation in relation to free-standing objects. Two groups of chicks were trained to find food in one of the feeders located in a large circular arena. Chicks of one group solved the task using the relational spatial information provided by free-standing objects present in the arena, while the other group used the local appearance of the baited feeder as a beacon. The immediate early gene product c-Fos was employed to map neural activation of hippocampus and medial striatum of both hemispheres. Chicks that used spatial cues for navigation showed higher activation of the right hippocampus compared to chicks that oriented by local features and compared to the left hippocampus. Such differences between the two groups were not present in the left hippocampus or in the medial striatum. Relational spatial information seems thus to be selectively processed by the right hippocampus in domestic chicks. The results are discussed in light of existing evidence of hippocampal lateralization of spatial processing in chicks, with particular attention to the contrasting evidence found in pigeons.

在不同的脊椎动物物种中，海马体在空间定向方面起着至关重要的作用。然而，尽管认知侧化在动物界很普遍，但对这种海马功能的侧化研究却很少。本研究的目的是调查与独立物体相关的空间导航期间家养小鸡海马体激活的侧化。两组小鸡接受了训练，可以在位于一个大型圆形竞技场的一个喂食器中寻找食物。一组小鸡使用竞技场中存在的独立物体提供的相关空间信息来解决任务，而另一组则使用诱饵喂食器的局部外观作为信标。立即早期基因产物 c-Fos 用于绘制海马和两个半球内侧纹状体的神经激活图。使用空间线索进行导航的小鸡与通过局部特征定位的小鸡相比，与左侧海马体相比，右侧海马体的激活程度更高。两组之间的这种差异不存在于左侧海马体或内侧纹状体中。因此，关系空间信息似乎被家养小鸡的右侧海马体选择性地处理。根据小鸡空间处理的海马侧化的现有证据讨论结果，特别注意在鸽子中发现的对比证据。使用空间线索进行导航的小鸡与通过局部特征定位的小鸡相比，与左侧海马体相比，右侧海马体的激活程度更高。两组之间的这种差异不存在于左侧海马体或内侧纹状体中。因此，关系空间信息似乎被家养小鸡的右侧海马体选择性地处理。根据小鸡空间处理的海马侧化的现有证据讨论结果，特别注意在鸽子中发现的对比证据。使用空间线索进行导航的小鸡与通过局部特征定位的小鸡相比，与左侧海马体相比，右侧海马体显示出更高的激活。两组之间的这种差异不存在于左侧海马体或内侧纹状体中。因此，关系空间信息似乎被家养小鸡的右侧海马体选择性地处理。根据小鸡空间处理的海马侧化的现有证据讨论结果，特别注意在鸽子中发现的对比证据。因此，关系空间信息似乎被家养小鸡的右侧海马体选择性地处理。根据小鸡空间处理的海马侧化的现有证据讨论结果，特别注意在鸽子中发现的对比证据。因此，关系空间信息似乎被家养小鸡的右侧海马体选择性地处理。根据小鸡空间处理的海马侧化的现有证据讨论结果，特别注意在鸽子中发现的对比证据。