Dim artificial light at night alters immediate early gene expression throughout the avian brain

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a pervasive pollutant that alters physiology and behavior. However, the underlying mechanisms triggering these alterations are unknown, as previous work shows that dim levels of ALAN may have a masking effect, bypassing the central clock. Light stimulates neuronal activity in numerous brain regions which could in turn activate downstream effectors regulating physiological response. In the present study, taking advantage of immediate early gene (IEG) expression as a proxy for neuronal activity, we determined the brain regions activated in response to ALAN. We exposed zebra finches to dim ALAN (1.5 lux) and analyzed 24 regions throughout the brain. We found that the overall expression of two different IEGs, cFos and ZENK, in birds exposed to ALAN were significantly different from birds inactive at night. Additionally, we found that ALAN-exposed birds had significantly different IEG expression from birds inactive at night and active during the day in sev..., , , Dim artificial light at night alters immediate early gene expression throughout the avian brain
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This is the raw data for the manuscript

cfos\_df
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bird = individual bird
group = treatment
active = birds separated into only two groups of active or inactive (total minutes of activity <1 minute) 90 minutes before perfusion
pathway = related pathway for brain region
area = area of the brain in abbreviations, see manuscript for detailed area name
slice = number of slices for that bird for that area
cFos\_exact = exact percent of cFos+ cells
ZENK\_exact = exact percent of ZENK+ cells
cFos\_Int = an interger for analysis, it is the exact percent multiplied by 10
ZENK\_Int = an interger for analysis, it is the exact percent multiplied by 10
Total = total percent of DAPI cells for exact
Total = total percent of DAPI cells for intergers, total percent multiplied by 10
cFos\_percent = exact percent of cFos+ cells
cFos = rounded percet of cFos+ cells
ZENK\_percent = exact percent of ZEN...