The surprising organization of avian brains
A research team clears up 150 years of false assumptions

Date:
September 25, 2020
Source:
Ruhr-University Bochum
Summary:
Some birds can perform amazing cognitive feats - even though
their forebrains seem to just consist of lumps of grey cells,
while mammalian forebrains harbour a highly complex neocortex. A
study reveals for the first time amazing similarities between the
neocortex of mammals and sensory brain areas of birds: both are
arranged in horizontal layers and vertical columns.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Some birds can perform amazing cognitive feats -- even though their
forebrains seem to just consist of lumps of grey cells, while mammalian forebrains harbour a highly complex neocortex. A study reveals for the
first time amazing similarities between the neocortex of mammals and
sensory brain areas of birds: both are arranged in horizontal layers
and vertical columns.


========================================================================== These findings refute 150-year-old assumptions. The team, published its findings in the journal Science from 25. September 2020.

The largest brains Birds and mammals have the largest brains in relation
to their body. Apart from that, however, they have little in common,
according to scientific opinion since the 19th century: mammalian brains
have a neocortex, i.e. a cerebral cortex that's made up of six layers
and arranged in columns perpendicular to these layers. Avian brains,
on the other hand, look like clumps of grey cells.

"Considering the astonishing cognitive performance that birds can achieve,
it seemed reasonable to suspect that their brains are more organised than expected," says Professor Onur Gu"ntu"rku"n, Head of the Biopsychology
Research Unit at the RUB Faculty of Psychology. He and his former doctoral students Dr.

Martin Stacho and Dr. Christina Herold proved this in several experiments.

Perfected technology facilitates new insights In the first step,
the researchers deployed a new method perfected by the Du"sseldorf and
Ju"lich teams: so-called 3D polarized light imaging, or 3D PLI for short,
is capable of displaying the orientation of individual nerve fibres.

To the researchers' surprise, an analysis of the brains of various birds revealed an organisation that is similar to that in the mammalian brain:
here too, the fibres are arranged horizontally and vertically in the
same way as in the neocortex.

In further experiments, the researchers used tiny crystals, which
are absorbed by nerve cells in brain slices and transport them to
their smallest dendrites, to examine the interconnection of cells
in the bird brain in detail. "Here, too, the structure was shown
to consist of columns, in which signals are transmitted from top
to bottom and vice versa, and long horizontal fibres," explains Onur Gu"ntu"rku"n. However, this structure is only found in the sensory areas
of the avian brain. Other areas, such as associative areas, are organised
in a different way.

Amazing cognitive performance Some birds are capable of astonishing
cognitive performances to rival those of higher developed mammals such
as primates. For example, ravens recognise themselves in the mirror and
plan for the future. They are also able to put themselves in the position
of others, recognise causalities and draw conclusions. Pigeons can learn English spelling up to the level of six-year-old children.

Funding The study was funded by the German Research Foundation as part
of Collaborative Research Centres 1280 (project no. A01 316803389)
and 1372 (project no. Neu04 395940726). Additional funding was supplied
by the European Union under the umbrella of the Horizon 2020 Programme
(project no. 785907 and 945539).


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Ruhr-University_Bochum. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Martin Stacho, Christina Herold, Noemi Rook, Hermann Wagner,
Markus Axer,
Katrin Amunts, Onur Gu"ntu"rku"n. A cortex-like canonical circuit
in the avian forebrain. Science, 2020 DOI: 10.1126/science.abc5534 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200925113354.htm

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