Conversely, normal brain development is known to require sensory and motor stimuli according to a species-specific
timetable, such as at eye opening in rodents or when terrestrial young first leave the den or nest. Failure to receive “expected” sensory input results in altered neural connectivity and functional impairment (Chugani et al. 1991, Greenough et al. 2002). In rodents, the detrimental effect of postnatal sensory deprivation on brain development may be more severe in precocial vs. altricial species (Brunjes 1988). In other words, environmental stimuli in the early postnatal period appear to be of particular importance for development of brain function in precocial neonates, who have completed a large proportion of brain growth in utero, i.e., see more with minimal sensory stimulation. Neurophysiological studies on visually evoked potentials in suckling Weddell seal pups confirm that rapid changes in brain function occur after ca. 2 wk of age (Gruenau et al. 1975), following the first entry into the water. Early diving exposes pups to environmental stimuli that can ensure proper development of neural connectivity required for spatial navigation MG-132 research buy in the complex under-ice environment. The brains of Weddell seals appear to be unusually well-developed at birth, both in terms of mass as a proportion of adult brain mass and in terms of neurologic function. This apparent acceleration in the development of
one organ system (brain) relative to other systems (the skin, bone, muscle, visceral organs, fluid compartments, blubber and other components that in aggregate comprise the remainder of body mass) may be an example of sequence heterochrony (Smith 2001). Such accelerated brain development is presumed to have a selective advantage in the Weddell
seal, perhaps in facilitating the acquisition of under-ice navigational abilities. The metabolic constraints imposed by a large brain may also be a factor in the evolution of milk composition (Eisert et al. 2013). Ontogenetic patterns of brain development are poorly understood in marine mammals and clearly warrant further investigation. We thank our research team who assisted in the field in 2007 (C. Angelici, J. Bechtel, W. STK38 Hood, R. Joss, C. Lenky, W. Lynch, R. Palozzi, L. Ware). We also thank the staff at Scott Base and McMurdo Station for their support of our research, and R. Marinelli of the National Science Foundation-Office of Polar Programs for authorization to transport heads and skulls from McMurdo Station to the United States via frozen storage on a ship. R. Garrott of Montana State University kindly provided estimated birth and death dates for tagged mothers and pups based on their census records; these estimates were adjusted by us when our observations were more detailed. I. Stirling of the University of Alberta generously provided original data sheets for the University of Canterbury Weddell seal skull collection. We thank M. R.
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