The neurobiology of filial learning.

Early filial learning evokes clear neural changes in the developing brain. Anatomy and function in the developing olfactory, auditory, and visual systems change following early learning. Since this type of learning seems critical for the survival of the young, the mechanisms of such plasticity should be clear and reliable. In each sensory modality examined, both distinct changes in the brain and the reliable nature of learning through early experience have become evident with experimental analysis.