Prenatal Visual Exposure to a Predator Influences Lateralization in Goldbelly Topminnows

Abstract

The role of genetic and environmental factors in modulating the development of brain lateralization is far from being fully understood, and the presence of individual differences in several lateralized functions is still an open question. In goldbelly topminnows, the genetic basis of asymmetrical functions in the brain has been studied, and recently it has been found that light stimulation influences the expression of lateralization of newborns. Here, we investigated whether prenatal exposure to predators affects the development of lateralization in 10-day-old topminnows born from females exposed to a real or to a simulated predator during pregnancy. Offspring from females exposed to a real predator were lateralized in both visual and motor tests, whereas fish from females exposed to a simulated predator were not and did not differ from controls. Prenatal exposure to a real predator might promote the alignment of lateralization in the same direction in different individuals.