1
|
Widrig KE, Navalón G, Field DJ. Paleoneurology of stem palaeognaths clarifies the plesiomorphic condition of the crown bird central nervous system. J Morphol 2024; 285:e21710. [PMID: 38760949 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Lithornithidae, an assemblage of volant Palaeogene fossil birds, provide our clearest insights into the early evolutionary history of Palaeognathae, the clade that today includes the flightless ratites and volant tinamous. The neotype specimen of Lithornis vulturinus, from the early Eocene (approximately 53 million years ago) of Europe, includes a partial neurocranium that has never been thoroughly investigated. Here, we describe these cranial remains including the nearly complete digital endocasts of the brain and bony labyrinth. The telencephalon of Lithornis is expanded and its optic lobes are ventrally shifted, as is typical for crown birds. The foramen magnum is positioned caudally, rather than flexed ventrally as in some crown birds, with the optic lobes, cerebellum, and foramen magnum shifted further ventrally. The overall brain shape is similar to that of tinamous, the only extant clade of flying palaeognaths, suggesting that several aspects of tinamou neuroanatomy may have been evolutionarily conserved since at least the early Cenozoic. The estimated ratio of the optic lobe's surface area relative to the total brain suggests a diurnal ecology. Lithornis may provide the clearest insights to date into the neuroanatomy of the ancestral crown bird, combining an ancestrally unflexed brain with a caudally oriented connection with the spinal cord, a moderately enlarged telencephalon, and ventrally shifted, enlarged optic lobes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Klara E Widrig
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Guillermo Navalón
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniel J Field
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Museum of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Fossil Reptiles, Amphibians and Birds Section, The Natural History Museum, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Racicot KJ, Ham JR, Augustine JK, Henriksen R, Wright D, Iwaniuk AN. A Comparison of Telencephalon Composition among Chickens, Junglefowl, and Wild Galliforms. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2024; 99:13-24. [PMID: 38368854 DOI: 10.1159/000537844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Domestication is the process of modifying animals for human benefit through selective breeding in captivity. One of the traits that often diverges is the size of the brain and its constituent regions; almost all domesticated species have relatively smaller brains and brain regions than their wild ancestors. Although the effects of domestication on the brain have been investigated across a range of both mammal and bird species, almost nothing is known about the neuroanatomical effects of domestication on the world's most common bird: the chicken (Gallus gallus). METHODS We compared the quantitative neuroanatomy of the telencephalon of white leghorn chickens with red junglefowl, their wild counterpart, and several wild galliform species. We focused specifically on the telencephalon because telencephalic regions typically exhibit the biggest differences in size in domesticate-wild comparisons. RESULTS Relative telencephalon size was larger in chickens than in junglefowl and ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus). The relative size of telencephalic regions did not differ between chickens and junglefowl, but did differ in comparison with ruffed grouse. Ruffed grouse had larger hyperpallia and smaller entopallial, nidopallial, and striatal volumes than chickens and junglefowl. Multivariate analyses that included an additional three wild grouse species corroborated these findings: chicken and junglefowl have relatively larger nidopallial and striatal volumes than grouse. Conversely, the mesopallial and hyperpallial volumes tended to be relatively smaller in chickens and junglefowl. CONCLUSION From this suite of comparisons, we conclude that chickens do not follow a pattern of widespread decreases in telencephalic region sizes that is often viewed as typical of domestication. Instead, chickens have undergone a mosaic of changes with some regions increasing and others decreasing in size, and there are few differences between chickens and junglefowl.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey J Racicot
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jackson R Ham
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jacqueline K Augustine
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Lima, Lima, Ohio, USA
| | - Rie Henriksen
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Dominic Wright
- AVIAN Behavioural Genomics and Physiology Group, IFM Biology, Linköping University, Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Andrew N Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Applegate MC, Gutnichenko KS, Aronov D. Topography of inputs into the hippocampal formation of a food-caching bird. J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:1669-1688. [PMID: 37553864 PMCID: PMC10611445 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian hippocampal formation (HF) is organized into domains associated with different functions. These differences are driven in part by the pattern of input along the hippocampal long axis, such as visual input to the septal hippocampus and amygdalar input to the temporal hippocampus. HF is also organized along the transverse axis, with different patterns of neural activity in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex. In some birds, a similar organization has been observed along both of these axes. However, it is not known what role inputs play in this organization. We used retrograde tracing to map inputs into HF of a food-caching bird, the black-capped chickadee. We first compared two locations along the transverse axis: the hippocampus and the dorsolateral hippocampal area (DL), which is analogous to the entorhinal cortex. We found that pallial regions predominantly targeted DL, while some subcortical regions like the lateral hypothalamus (LHy) preferentially targeted the hippocampus. We then examined the hippocampal long axis and found that almost all inputs were topographic along this direction. For example, the anterior hippocampus was preferentially innervated by thalamic regions, while the posterior hippocampus received more amygdalar input. Some of the topographies we found bear a resemblance to those described in the mammalian brain, revealing a remarkable anatomical similarity of phylogenetically distant animals. More generally, our work establishes the pattern of inputs to HF in chickadees. Some of these patterns may be unique to chickadees, laying the groundwork for studying the anatomical basis of these birds' exceptional hippocampal memory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dmitriy Aronov
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute Columbia University
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Puelles L, Stühmer T, Rubenstein JLR, Diaz C. Critical test of the assumption that the hypothalamic entopeduncular nucleus of rodents is homologous with the primate internal pallidum. J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:1715-1750. [PMID: 37695031 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
The globus pallidus (GP) of primates is divided conventionally into distinct internal and external parts. The literature repeats since 1930 the opinion that the homolog of the primate internal pallidum in rodents is the hypothalamic entopeduncular nucleus (embedded within fiber tracts of the cerebral peduncle). To test this idea, we explored its historic fundaments, checked the development and genoarchitecture of mouse entopeduncular and pallidal neurons, and examined relevant comparative connectivity data. We found that the extratelencephalic mouse entopeduncular structure consists of four different components arrayed along a dorsoventral sequence in the alar hypothalamus. The ventral entopeduncular nucleus (EPV), with GABAergic neurons expressing Dlx5&6 and Nkx2-1, lies within the hypothalamic peduncular subparaventricular area. Three other formations-the dorsal entopeduncular nucleus (EPD), the prereticular entopeduncular nucleus (EPPRt ), and the preeminential entopeduncular nucleus (EPPEm )-lie within the overlying paraventricular area, under the subpallium. EPD contains glutamatergic neurons expressing Tbr1, Otp, and Pax6. The EPPRt has GABAergic cells expressing Isl1 and Meis2, whereas the EPPEm population expresses Foxg1 and may be glutamatergic. Genoarchitectonic observations on relevant areas of the mouse pallidal/diagonal subpallium suggest that the GP of rodents is constituted as in primates by two adjacent but molecularly and hodologically differentiable telencephalic portions (both expressing Foxg1). These and other reported data oppose the notion that the rodent extratelencephalic entopeduncular nucleus is homologous to the primate internal pallidum. We suggest instead that all mammals, including rodents, have dual subpallial GP components, whereas primates probably also have a comparable set of hypothalamic entopeduncular nuclei. Remarkably, there is close similarity in some gene expression properties of the telencephalic internal GP and the hypothalamic EPV. This apparently underlies their notable functional analogy, sharing GABAergic neurons and thalamopetal connectivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Puelles
- Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology and IMIB-Arrixaca Institute, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Thorsten Stühmer
- Nina Ireland Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Medical School, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - John L R Rubenstein
- Nina Ireland Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Medical School, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Carmen Diaz
- School of Medicine and Institute for Research in Neurological Disabilities, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Reiner A. Could theropod dinosaurs have evolved to a human level of intelligence? J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:975-1006. [PMID: 37029483 PMCID: PMC10106414 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
Noting that some theropod dinosaurs had large brains, large grasping hands, and likely binocular vision, paleontologist Dale Russell suggested that a branch of these dinosaurs might have evolved to a human intelligence level, had dinosaurs not become extinct. I offer reasons why the likely pallial organization in dinosaurs would have made this improbable, based on four assumptions. First, it is assumed that achieving human intelligence requires evolving an equivalent of the about 200 functionally specialized cortical areas characteristic of humans. Second, it is assumed that dinosaurs had an avian nuclear type of pallial organization, in contrast to the mammalian cortical organization. Third, it is assumed that the interactions between the different neuron types making up an information processing unit within pallium are critical to its role in analyzing information. Finally, it is assumed that increasing axonal length between the neuron sets carrying out this operation impairs its efficacy. Based on these assumptions, I present two main reasons why dinosaur pallium might have been unable to add the equivalent of 200 efficiently functioning cortical areas. First, a nuclear pattern of pallial organization would require increasing distances between the neuron groups corresponding to the separate layers of any given mammalian cortical area, as more sets of nuclei equivalent to a cortical area are interposed between the existing sets, increasing axon length and thereby impairing processing efficiency. Second, because of its nuclear organization, dinosaur pallium could not reduce axon length by folding to bring adjacent areas closer together, as occurs in cerebral cortex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anton Reiner
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zeiträg C, Reber SA, Osvath M. Gaze following in Archosauria-Alligators and palaeognath birds suggest dinosaur origin of visual perspective taking. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf0405. [PMID: 37205749 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf0405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Taking someone else's visual perspective marks an evolutionary shift in the formation of advanced social cognition. It enables using others' attention to discover otherwise hidden aspects of the surroundings and is foundational for human communication and understanding of others. Visual perspective taking has also been found in some other primates, a few songbirds, and some canids. However, despite its essential role for social cognition, visual perspective taking has only been fragmentedly studied in animals, leaving its evolution and origins uncharted. To begin to narrow this knowledge gap, we investigated extant archosaurs by comparing the neurocognitively least derived extant birds-palaeognaths-with the closest living relatives of birds, the crocodylians. In a gaze following paradigm, we showed that palaeognaths engage in visual perspective taking and grasp the referentiality of gazes, while crocodylians do not. This suggests that visual perspective taking originated in early birds or nonavian dinosaurs-likely earlier than in mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Zeiträg
- Department of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Stephan A Reber
- Department of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Mathias Osvath
- Department of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Colquitt BM. Organizational Conservation and Flexibility in the Evolution of Birdsong and Avian Motor Control. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2022; 97:255-264. [PMID: 35644127 DOI: 10.1159/000525019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Birds and mammals have independently evolved complex behavioral and cognitive capabilities yet have markedly different brain structures. An open question is to what extent, despite these differences in anatomy, birds and mammals have evolved similar neural solutions to complex motor control and at what level of organization these similarities might lie. Courtship song in songbirds, a learned motor skill that is similar to the fine motor skills of many mammals including human speech, provides a powerful system in which to study the links connecting the development and evolution of cells, circuits, and behavior. Until recently, obtaining cellular-resolution views of the specialized neural circuitry that subserves birdsong was impossible due to a lack of molecular tools for songbirds. However, the ongoing revolution in cellular profiling and genomics offers unprecedented opportunities for molecular analysis in organisms that lack a traditional genetic infrastructure but have tractable, well-defined behaviors. Here, I describe recent efforts to understand the evolutionary relationships between birdsong control circuitry and mammalian neocortical circuitry using new approaches to measure gene expression in single cells. These results, combined with foundational work relating avian and mammalian brains at a range of biological levels, present an emerging view that amniote pallium evolution is a story of diverse neural circuit architectures employing conserved neuronal elements within a conserved topological framework. This view suggests that one locus of pallial neural circuit evolution lies at the intersection between the gene regulatory programs that regulate regional patterning and those that specify functional identity. Modifications to this intersection may underlie the evolution of pallial motor control in birds in general and to the evolutionary and developmental relationships of these circuits to the avian pallial amygdala.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bradley M Colquitt
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Jiménez S, Moreno N. Analysis of the Pallial Amygdala in Anurans: Derivatives and Cellular Components. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2022; 97:309-320. [PMID: 35613549 DOI: 10.1159/000525018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The amygdaloid complex plays a crucial role in socio-emotional conduct, learning, survival, and reproductive behaviors. It is constituted by a set of nuclei presenting a great cellular heterogeneity and embryonic origin diversity (pallial, subpallial, and even extra-telencephalic). In the last two decades, the tetrapartite pallial paradigm defined the pallial portion of the amygdala as a derivative of the lateroventral pallium. However, the pallial conception is currently being reanalyzed and one of these new proposals is to consider the mouse pallial amygdala as a radial histogenetic domain independent from the rest of the pallial subdomains. In anamniotes, and particularly in amphibian anurans, the amygdaloid complex was described as a region with pallial and subpallial components similar to those described in amniotes. In the present study carried out in Xenopus laevis, after a detailed analysis of the orientation of the amygdalar radial glia, we propose an additional amygdala derived from the pallial region. It is independent of the vomeronasal/olfactory amygdaloid nuclei described in anurans, expresses markers such as Lhx9 present in the mammalian pallial amygdala, and lacks Otp-expressing cells, detected in the adjacent medial amygdala. Further studies are needed to clarify the functional involvement of this area, and whether it is a derivative of the adjacent ventral pallium or an independent pallial domain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Jiménez
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nerea Moreno
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Giglia G, Agliani G, Lepri E, Baldoni E, Gobbi M, Ceccherelli R, Gröne A, van den Brand JMA, Mandara MT. Neuronal satellitosis is a common finding in the avian brain. Avian Pathol 2022; 51:381-387. [PMID: 35503252 DOI: 10.1080/03079457.2022.2073193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPerineuronal or neuronal satellitosis is the term describing the presence of glial cells in the satellite space surrounding the neuronal perikaryon. Confusingly, this finding has been described both as a physiologic and pathologic condition in humans and animals. In animals, neuronal satellitosis has been described in mammals, as well as in avian species. For the latter, authors wondered whether this finding can be expressed in the normal telencephalon of different avian orders and families and whether this pattern in different species shows a specific brain-region association. For these aims, this study explored the presence of neuronal satellitosis in the major areas of the healthy telencephalon in wild avian species of different orders and families, evaluating its grade in different brain regions. Neuronal satellitosis was seen in the Hyperpallium and Mesopallium as areas with the highest grade. Passeriformes showed the highest grade of neuronal satellitosis compared to Diurnal, Nocturnal raptors, and Charadriiformes. To clarify the exact role of neuronal satellitosis in animals without neurological disease further studies are needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Giglia
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo, 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.,Division of Pathology, Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Gianfilippo Agliani
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Elvio Lepri
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo, 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Erika Baldoni
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo, 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo, 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy.,Diagnostic Department, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche, Via Gaetano Salvemini, 1, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Renato Ceccherelli
- Centro Recupero Uccelli Marini e Acquatici (CRUMA), Via delle Sorgenti, 430, 57121 Livorno, Italy
| | - Andrea Gröne
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Judith M A van den Brand
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 1, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Maria Teresa Mandara
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo, 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Kelly AM. A consideration of brain networks modulating social behavior. Horm Behav 2022; 141:105138. [PMID: 35219166 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
A primary goal of the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology is to understand how the brain modulates complex behavior. Over the last 20 years we have proposed various brain networks to explain behavioral regulation, however, the parameters by which these networks are identified are often ill-defined and reflect our personal scientific biases based on our area of expertise. In this perspective article, I question our characterization of brain networks underlying behavior and their utility. Using the Social Behavior Network as a primary example, I outline issues with brain networks commonly discussed in the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology, argue that we reconsider how we identify brain networks underlying behavior, and urge the future use of analytical tools developed by the field of Network Neuroscience. With modern statistical/mathematical tools and state of the art technology for brain imaging, we can strive to minimize our bias and generate brain networks that may more accurately reflect how the brain produces behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States of America.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Executive Functions in Birds. BIRDS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/birds3020013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Executive functions comprise of top-down cognitive processes that exert control over information processing, from acquiring information to issuing a behavioral response. These cognitive processes of inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility underpin complex cognitive skills, such as episodic memory and planning, which have been repeatedly investigated in several bird species in recent decades. Until recently, avian executive functions were studied in relatively few bird species but have gained traction in comparative cognitive research following MacLean and colleagues’ large-scale study from 2014. Therefore, in this review paper, the relevant previous findings are collected and organized to facilitate further investigations of these core cognitive processes in birds. This review can assist in integrating findings from avian and mammalian cognitive research and further the current understanding of executive functions’ significance and evolution.
Collapse
|
12
|
Lukacova K, Hamaide J, Baciak L, Van der Linden A, Kubikova L. Striatal Injury Induces Overall Brain Alteration at the Pallial, Thalamic, and Cerebellar Levels. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11030425. [PMID: 35336799 PMCID: PMC8945699 DOI: 10.3390/biology11030425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Magnetic resonance imaging showed that striatal injury leads to structural changes within several brain areas. Here, we specify these changes via gene expression of synaptic plasticity markers, neuronal markers, assessing the number of newborn cells as well as cell densities. We found that the injury resulted in long-lasting modifications involving plasticity and neural protection mechanisms in areas directly as well as indirectly connected with the damaged striatum, including the cerebellum. Abstract The striatal region Area X plays an important role during song learning, sequencing, and variability in songbirds. A previous study revealed that neurotoxic damage within Area X results in micro and macrostructural changes across the entire brain, including the downstream dorsal thalamus and both the upstream pallial nucleus HVC (proper name) and the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN). Here, we specify these changes on cellular and gene expression levels. We found decreased cell density in the thalamic and cerebellar areas and HVC, but it was not related to neuronal loss. On the contrary, perineuronal nets (PNNs) in HVC increased for up to 2 months post-lesion, suggesting their protecting role. The synaptic plasticity marker Forkhead box protein P2 (FoxP2) showed a bi-phasic increase at 8 days and 3 months post-lesion, indicating a massive synaptic rebuilding. The later increase in HVC was associated with the increased number of new neurons. These data suggest that the damage in the striatal vocal nucleus induces cellular and gene expression alterations in both the efferent and afferent destinations. These changes may be long-lasting and involve plasticity and neural protection mechanisms in the areas directly connected to the injury site and also to distant areas, such as the cerebellum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Lukacova
- Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Correspondence: (K.L.); (L.K.)
| | - Julie Hamaide
- Bio-Imaging Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (J.H.); (A.V.d.L.)
| | - Ladislav Baciak
- Central Laboratories, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, 812 37 Bratislava, Slovakia;
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, University of Antwerp, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (J.H.); (A.V.d.L.)
| | - Lubica Kubikova
- Institute of Animal Biochemistry and Genetics, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 840 05 Bratislava, Slovakia
- Correspondence: (K.L.); (L.K.)
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Suryanarayana SM, Robertson B, Grillner S. The neural bases of vertebrate motor behaviour through the lens of evolution. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200521. [PMID: 34957847 PMCID: PMC8710883 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The primary driver of the evolution of the vertebrate nervous system has been the necessity to move, along with the requirement of controlling the plethora of motor behavioural repertoires seen among the vast and diverse vertebrate species. Understanding the neural basis of motor control through the perspective of evolution, mandates thorough examinations of the nervous systems of species in critical phylogenetic positions. We present here, a broad review of studies on the neural motor infrastructure of the lamprey, a basal and ancient vertebrate, which enjoys a unique phylogenetic position as being an extant representative of the earliest group of vertebrates. From the central pattern generators in the spinal cord to the microcircuits of the pallial cortex, work on the lamprey brain over the years, has provided detailed insights into the basic organization (a bauplan) of the ancestral vertebrate brain, and narrates a compelling account of common ancestry of fundamental aspects of the neural bases for motion control, maintained through half a billion years of vertebrate evolution. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shreyas M. Suryanarayana
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Brita Robertson
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sten Grillner
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
New Remains of Scandiavis mikkelseni Inform Avian Phylogenetic Relationships and Brain Evolution. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13120651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Although an increasing number of studies are combining skeletal and neural morphology data in a phylogenetic context, most studies do not include extinct taxa due to the rarity of preserved endocasts. The early Eocene avifauna of the Fur Formation of Denmark presents an excellent opportunity for further study of extinct osteological and endocranial morphology as fossils are often exceptionally preserved in three dimensions. Here, we use X-ray computed tomography to present additional material of the previously described taxon Scandiavis mikkelseni and reassess its phylogenetic placement using a previously published dataset. The new specimen provides novel insights into the osteological morphology and brain anatomy of Scandiavis. The virtual endocast exhibits a morphology comparable to that of modern avian species. Endocranial evaluation shows that it was remarkably similar to that of certain extant Charadriiformes, yet also possessed a novel combination of traits. This may mean that traits previously proposed to be the result of shifts in ecology later in the evolutionary history of Charadriiformes may instead show a more complex distribution in stem Charadriiformes and/or Gruiformes depending on the interrelationships of these important clades. Evaluation of skeletal and endocranial character state changes within a previously published phylogeny confirms both S. mikkelseni and a putative extinct charadriiform, Nahmavis grandei, as charadriiform. Results bolster the likelihood that both taxa are critical fossils for divergence dating and highlight a biogeographic pattern similar to that of Gruiformes.
Collapse
|
15
|
Puelles L. Current status of the hypothesis of a claustro-insular homolog in sauropsids. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 96:212-241. [PMID: 34753135 DOI: 10.1159/000520742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The author worked before on the wide problem of the evolution of the vertebrate pallium. He proposed various Bauplan models based in the definition of a set of pallial sectors with characteristic (topologically invariant) mutual relationships and distinct molecular profiles. Out of one of these models, known as the 'updated tetrapartite pallium model', a modified definition of the earlier lateral pallium sector (LPall) emerged, which characterized it in mammals as consisting of an unitary claustro-insular transitional (mesocortical) complex intercalated between neocortex or dorsal pallium (DPall) above and olfactory cortex or ventral pallium (VPall) underneath. A distinctive molecular marker of the early-born deep claustral component of the LPall was found to be the transcription factor Nr4a2, which is not expressed significantly in the overlying insular cortex or in adjoining cortical territories (Puelles 2014). Given that earlier comparative studies had identified molecularly and topologically comparable VPall, LPall and DPall sectors in the avian pallium, an avian Nr4a2 probe was applied aiming to identify the reportedly absent avian claustro-insular complex. An early-born superficial subpopulation of the avian LPall that expresses selectively this marker through development was indeed found. This was proposed to be a claustrum homolog, whereas the remaining Nr4a2-negative avian LPall cells were assumed to represent a possible insular homolog (Puelles et al. 2016a). This last notion was supported by comparable selective expression of the mouse insular marker Cyp26b, also found restricted to the avian LPall (Puelles 2017). Some published data suggested that similar molecular properties and structure apply at the reptilian LPall. This analysis was reviewed in Puelles et al. (2017). The present commentary discusses 3-4 years later some international publications accrued in the interval that touch on the claustro-insular homology hypothesis. Some of them are opposed to the hypothesis whereas others corroborate or support it. This raises a number of secondary issues of general interest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Puelles
- Department of Human Anatomy, University of Murcia, Institute of Biomedical Research (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Giglia G, Agliani G, Munnink BBO, Sikkema RS, Mandara MT, Lepri E, Kik M, Ijzer J, Rijks JM, Fast C, Koopmans MPG, Verheije MH, Gröne A, Reusken CBEM, van den Brand JMA. Pathology and Pathogenesis of Eurasian Blackbirds ( Turdus merula) Naturally Infected with Usutu Virus. Viruses 2021; 13:1481. [PMID: 34452347 PMCID: PMC8402641 DOI: 10.3390/v13081481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The Usutu virus (USUV) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic flavivirus. Despite its continuous circulation in Europe, knowledge on the pathology, cellular and tissue tropism and pathogenetic potential of different circulating viral lineages is still fragmentary. Here, macroscopic and microscopic evaluations are performed in association with the study of cell and tissue tropism and comparison of lesion severity of two circulating virus lineages (Europe 3; Africa 3) in 160 Eurasian blackbirds (Turdus merula) in the Netherlands. Results confirm hepatosplenomegaly, coagulative necrosis and lymphoplasmacytic inflammation as major patterns of lesions and, for the first time, vasculitis as a novel virus-associated lesion. A USUV and Plasmodium spp. co-infection was commonly identified. The virus was associated with lesions by immunohistochemistry and was reported most commonly in endothelial cells and blood circulating and tissue mononucleated cells, suggesting them as a major route of entry and spread. A tropism for mononuclear phagocytes cells was further supported by viral labeling in multinucleated giant cells. The involvement of ganglionic neurons and epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract suggests a possible role of oral transmission, while the involvement of feather follicle shafts and bulbs suggests their use as a diagnostic sample for live bird testing. Finally, results suggest similar pathogenicity for the two circulating lineages.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Giglia
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomedical Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands; (G.G.); (G.A.); (M.K.); (J.I.); (M.H.V.); (A.G.)
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (M.T.M.); (E.L.)
| | - Gianfilippo Agliani
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomedical Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands; (G.G.); (G.A.); (M.K.); (J.I.); (M.H.V.); (A.G.)
| | - Bas B. Oude Munnink
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (B.B.O.M.); (R.S.S.); (M.P.G.K.); (C.B.E.M.R.)
| | - Reina S. Sikkema
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (B.B.O.M.); (R.S.S.); (M.P.G.K.); (C.B.E.M.R.)
| | - Maria Teresa Mandara
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (M.T.M.); (E.L.)
| | - Elvio Lepri
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, 06126 Perugia, Italy; (M.T.M.); (E.L.)
| | - Marja Kik
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomedical Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands; (G.G.); (G.A.); (M.K.); (J.I.); (M.H.V.); (A.G.)
- Dutch Wildlife Health Centre, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Jooske Ijzer
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomedical Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands; (G.G.); (G.A.); (M.K.); (J.I.); (M.H.V.); (A.G.)
- Dutch Wildlife Health Centre, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Jolianne M. Rijks
- Dutch Wildlife Health Centre, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Christine Fast
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Disease, Friedrich-Loeffler Institut, D-17493 Isle of Riems, Germany;
| | - Marion P. G. Koopmans
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (B.B.O.M.); (R.S.S.); (M.P.G.K.); (C.B.E.M.R.)
| | - Monique H. Verheije
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomedical Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands; (G.G.); (G.A.); (M.K.); (J.I.); (M.H.V.); (A.G.)
| | - Andrea Gröne
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomedical Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands; (G.G.); (G.A.); (M.K.); (J.I.); (M.H.V.); (A.G.)
- Dutch Wildlife Health Centre, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Chantal B. E. M. Reusken
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (B.B.O.M.); (R.S.S.); (M.P.G.K.); (C.B.E.M.R.)
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Judith M. A. van den Brand
- Division of Pathology, Department of Biomedical Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands; (G.G.); (G.A.); (M.K.); (J.I.); (M.H.V.); (A.G.)
- Dutch Wildlife Health Centre, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Torres CR, Norell MA, Clarke JA. Bird neurocranial and body mass evolution across the end-Cretaceous mass extinction: The avian brain shape left other dinosaurs behind. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabg7099. [PMID: 34330706 PMCID: PMC8324052 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg7099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Birds today are the most diverse clade of terrestrial vertebrates, and understanding why extant birds (Aves) alone among dinosaurs survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction is crucial to reconstructing the history of life. Hypotheses proposed to explain this pattern demand identification of traits unique to Aves. However, this identification is complicated by a lack of data from non-avian birds. Here, we interrogate survivorship hypotheses using data from a new, nearly complete skull of Late Cretaceous (~70 million years) bird Ichthyornis and reassess shifts in bird body size across the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Ichthyornis exhibited a wulst and segmented palate, previously proposed to have arisen within extant birds. The origin of Aves is marked by larger, reshaped brains indicating selection for relatively large telencephala and eyes but not by uniquely small body size. Sensory system differences, potentially linked to these shifts, may help explain avian survivorship relative to other dinosaurs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R Torres
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Jackson School of Geoscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Mark A Norell
- Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julia A Clarke
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Jackson School of Geoscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Wood AN. New roles for dopamine in motor skill acquisition: lessons from primates, rodents, and songbirds. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:2361-2374. [PMID: 33978497 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00648.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor learning is a core aspect of human life and appears to be ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom. Dopamine, a neuromodulator with a multifaceted role in synaptic plasticity, may be a key signaling molecule for motor skill learning. Though typically studied in the context of reward-based associative learning, dopamine appears to be necessary for some types of motor learning. Mesencephalic dopamine structures are highly conserved among vertebrates, as are some of their primary targets within the basal ganglia, a subcortical circuit important for motor learning and motor control. With a focus on the benefits of cross-species comparisons, this review examines how "model-free" and "model-based" computational frameworks for understanding dopamine's role in associative learning may be applied to motor learning. The hypotheses that dopamine could drive motor learning either by functioning as a reward prediction error, through passive facilitating of normal basal ganglia activity, or through other mechanisms are examined in light of new studies using humans, rodents, and songbirds. Additionally, new paradigms that could enhance our understanding of dopamine's role in motor learning by bridging the gap between the theoretical literature on motor learning in humans and other species are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A N Wood
- Department of Biology and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Valjent E, Gangarossa G. The Tail of the Striatum: From Anatomy to Connectivity and Function. Trends Neurosci 2020; 44:203-214. [PMID: 33243489 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2020.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 09/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The dorsal striatum, the largest subcortical structure of the basal ganglia, is critical in controlling motor, procedural, and reinforcement-based behaviors. Although in mammals the striatum extends widely along the rostro-caudal axis, current knowledge and derived theories about its anatomo-functional organization largely rely on results obtained from studies of its rostral sectors, leading to potentially oversimplified working models of the striatum as a whole. Recent findings indicate that the extreme caudal part of the striatum, also referred to as the tail of striatum (TS), represents an additional functional domain. Here, we provide an overview of past and recent studies revealing that the TS displays a heterogeneous cell-type-specific organization, and a unique input-output connectivity, which poises the TS as an integrator of sensory processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Valjent
- IGF, University of Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France.
| | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Voronov LN, Voronova GV. Modern View on the (Forebrain) Organization of Birds Regarding the Hypothesis of L.V. Krushinsky on the Mechanisms of Reasoning. BIOL BULL+ 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359020060151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
21
|
Stacho M, Herold C, Rook N, Wagner H, Axer M, Amunts K, Güntürkün O. A cortex-like canonical circuit in the
avian forebrain. Science 2020; 369:369/6511/eabc5534. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abc5534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Although the avian pallium seems to lack
an organization akin to that of the cerebral
cortex, birds exhibit extraordinary cognitive
skills that are comparable to those of mammals. We
analyzed the fiber architecture of the avian
pallium with three-dimensional polarized light
imaging and subsequently reconstructed local and
associative pallial circuits with tracing
techniques. We discovered an iteratively repeated,
column-like neuronal circuitry across the
layer-like nuclear boundaries of the hyperpallium
and the sensory dorsal ventricular ridge. These
circuits are connected to neighboring columns and,
via tangential layer-like connections, to higher
associative and motor areas. Our findings indicate
that this avian canonical circuitry is similar to
its mammalian counterpart and might constitute the
structural basis of neuronal computation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Stacho
- Department of Biopsychology,
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of
Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum,
Germany
- Department of Neurophysiology,
Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine,
Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum,
Germany
| | - Christina Herold
- Cécile and Oskar Vogt Institute for
Brain Research, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine
University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf,
Germany
| | - Noemi Rook
- Department of Biopsychology,
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of
Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum,
Germany
| | - Hermann Wagner
- Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen
University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Markus Axer
- Institute of Neuroscience and
Medicine INM-1, Research Center Jülich, 52425
Jülich, Germany
| | - Katrin Amunts
- Cécile and Oskar Vogt Institute for
Brain Research, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine
University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf,
Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and
Medicine INM-1, Research Center Jülich, 52425
Jülich, Germany
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology,
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of
Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum,
Germany
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Bloch S, Hagio H, Thomas M, Heuzé A, Hermel JM, Lasserre E, Colin I, Saka K, Affaticati P, Jenett A, Kawakami K, Yamamoto N, Yamamoto K. Non-thalamic origin of zebrafish sensory nuclei implies convergent evolution of visual pathways in amniotes and teleosts. eLife 2020; 9:e54945. [PMID: 32896272 PMCID: PMC7478893 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ascending visual projections similar to the mammalian thalamocortical pathway are found in a wide range of vertebrate species, but their homology is debated. To get better insights into their evolutionary origin, we examined the developmental origin of a thalamic-like sensory structure of teleosts, the preglomerular complex (PG), focusing on the visual projection neurons. Similarly to the tectofugal thalamic nuclei in amniotes, the lateral nucleus of PG receives tectal information and projects to the pallium. However, our cell lineage study in zebrafish reveals that the majority of PG cells are derived from the midbrain, unlike the amniote thalamus. We also demonstrate that the PG projection neurons develop gradually until late juvenile stages. Our data suggest that teleost PG, as a whole, is not homologous to the amniote thalamus. Thus, the thalamocortical-like projections evolved from a non-forebrain cell population, which indicates a surprising degree of variation in the vertebrate sensory systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Solal Bloch
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (Neuro-PSI), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRSGif-sur-YvetteFrance
| | - Hanako Hagio
- Laboratory of Fish Biology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya UniversityNagoyaJapan
- Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya UniversityNagoyaJapan
| | - Manon Thomas
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (Neuro-PSI), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRSGif-sur-YvetteFrance
| | - Aurélie Heuzé
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (Neuro-PSI), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRSGif-sur-YvetteFrance
| | - Jean-Michel Hermel
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (Neuro-PSI), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRSGif-sur-YvetteFrance
| | - Elodie Lasserre
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (Neuro-PSI), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRSGif-sur-YvetteFrance
| | - Ingrid Colin
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (Neuro-PSI), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRSGif-sur-YvetteFrance
| | - Kimiko Saka
- Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of GeneticsMishimaJapan
| | - Pierre Affaticati
- TEFOR Paris-Saclay, CNRS UMS2010, INRA UMS1451, Université Paris-SaclayGif-sur-YvetteFrance
| | - Arnim Jenett
- TEFOR Paris-Saclay, CNRS UMS2010, INRA UMS1451, Université Paris-SaclayGif-sur-YvetteFrance
| | - Koichi Kawakami
- Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of GeneticsMishimaJapan
- Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)MishimaJapan
| | - Naoyuki Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Fish Biology, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya UniversityNagoyaJapan
| | - Kei Yamamoto
- Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (Neuro-PSI), Université Paris-Saclay, CNRSGif-sur-YvetteFrance
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Early CM, Iwaniuk AN, Ridgely RC, Witmer LM. Endocast structures are reliable proxies for the sizes of corresponding regions of the brain in extant birds. J Anat 2020; 237:1162-1176. [PMID: 32892372 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocasts are increasingly relied upon to examine avian brain evolution because they can be used across extant and extinct species. The endocasts of birds appear to be relatively faithful representatives of the external morphology of their brains, but it is unclear how well the size of a surface feature visible on endocasts reflects the volume of the underlying brain region. The optic lobe and the Wulst are two endocast structures that are clearly visible on the external surface of avian endocasts. As they overlie two major visual regions of the brain, the optic tectum and hyperpallium, the surface areas of the optic lobe and Wulst, respectively, are often used to infer visual abilities. To determine whether the surface area of these features reflects the volume of the underlying brain regions, we compared the surface areas of the optic lobes and Wulsts from digital endocasts with the volumes of the optic tecta and hyperpallia from the literature or measured from histological series of brains of the same species. Regression analyses revealed strong, statistically significant correlations between the volumes of the brain regions and the surface areas of the overlying endocast structures. In other words, the size of the hyperpallium and optic tectum can be reliably inferred from the surface areas of the Wulst and optic lobe, respectively. This validation opens the possibility of estimating brain-region volumes for extinct species in order to gain better insights in their visual ecology. It also emphasizes the importance of adopting a quantitative approach to the analysis of endocasts in the study of brain evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine M Early
- Biology Department, Science Museum of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA.,Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Andrew N Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Ryan C Ridgely
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Lawrence M Witmer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Messina A, Potrich D, Schiona I, Sovrano VA, Fraser SE, Brennan CH, Vallortigara G. Response to change in the number of visual stimuli in zebrafish:A behavioural and molecular study. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5769. [PMID: 32238844 PMCID: PMC7113307 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62608-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence has shown that a variety of vertebrates, including fish, can discriminate collections of visual items on the basis of their numerousness using an evolutionarily conserved system for approximating numerical magnitude (the so-called Approximate Number System, ANS). Here we combine a habituation/dishabituation behavioural task with molecular biology assays to start investigating the neural bases of the ANS in zebrafish. Separate groups of zebrafish underwent a habituation phase with a set of 3 or 9 small red dots, associated with a food reward. The dots changed in size, position and density from trial to trial but maintained their numerousness, and the overall areas of the stimuli was kept constant. During the subsequent dishabituation test, zebrafish faced a change (i) in number (from 3 to 9 or vice versa with the same overall surface), or (ii) in shape (with the same overall surface and number), or (iii) in size (with the same shape and number). A control group of zebrafish was shown the same stimuli as during the habituation. RT-qPCR revealed that the telencephalon and thalamus were characterized by the most consistent modulation of the expression of the immediate early genes c-fos and egr-1 upon change in numerousness; in contrast, the retina and optic tectum responded mainly to changes in stimulus size.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Messina
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
| | - Davide Potrich
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Ilaria Schiona
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Valeria Anna Sovrano
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Scott E Fraser
- Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Caroline H Brennan
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University, London, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Cárdenas A, Borrell V. Molecular and cellular evolution of corticogenesis in amniotes. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:1435-1460. [PMID: 31563997 PMCID: PMC11104948 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03315-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The cerebral cortex varies dramatically in size and complexity between amniotes due to differences in neuron number and composition. These differences emerge during embryonic development as a result of variations in neurogenesis, which are thought to recapitulate modifications occurred during evolution that culminated in the human neocortex. Here, we review work from the last few decades leading to our current understanding of the evolution of neurogenesis and size of the cerebral cortex. Focused on specific examples across vertebrate and amniote phylogeny, we discuss developmental mechanisms regulating the emergence, lineage, complexification and fate of cortical germinal layers and progenitor cell types. At the cellular level, we discuss the fundamental impact of basal progenitor cells and the advent of indirect neurogenesis on the increased number and diversity of cortical neurons and layers in mammals, and on cortex folding. Finally, we discuss recent work that unveils genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying this progressive expansion and increased complexity of the amniote cerebral cortex during evolution, with a particular focus on those leading to human-specific features. Whereas new genes important in human brain development emerged the recent hominid lineage, regulation of the patterns and levels of activity of highly conserved signaling pathways are beginning to emerge as mechanisms of central importance in the evolutionary increase in cortical size and complexity across amniotes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrián Cárdenas
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas y Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Víctor Borrell
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas y Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Schmidt M. Evolution of the Hypothalamus and Inferior Lobe in Ray-Finned Fishes. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2020; 95:302-316. [PMID: 32203953 DOI: 10.1159/000505898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The inferior lobes are prominent bilateral brain areas in the hypothalamus of neopterygians among the ray-finned fishes. They are known as multisensory integration centers. As such, they should play a major role in fish evolution. In this study, a comparative morphometric analysis was performed. The morphology of the hypothalamus, where the inferior lobe is considered as fully developed first in Lepisosteus, was then re-examined. One hundred brains from different species of 60 families of ray-finned fishes were stained with cresyl violet and embedded in methacrylate. They were then cut on a microtome while conducting block-face imaging. The volumes were determined for the whole brain, brain areas, and nuclei. Since visual input represents a major sensory input for the inferior lobe, the nucleus glomerulosus, a visual-related nucleus in paracanthopterygian and acanthopterygian teleosts, and the tectum opticum were included in the investigations. The morphometric analysis revealed that the relative volume of the inferior lobes increases significantly from species of the Lepisosteiformes to the Tetraodontiformes. In addition, a positive correlation was detected between the relative volume of the inferior lobes and either the relative volume of the nucleus glomerulosus or the relative volume of the tectum opticum. These correlations, in combination with findings from previous hodological and behavioral studies, give rise to the speculation that the inferior lobes may be involved in higher cognitive processes and complex social interactions.
Collapse
|
27
|
Knudsen EI. Evolution of neural processing for visual perception in vertebrates. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:2888-2901. [PMID: 32003466 PMCID: PMC7586818 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Visual perception requires both visual information and attention. This review compares, across classes of vertebrates, the functional and anatomical characteristics of (a) the neural pathways that process visual information about objects, and (b) stimulus selection pathways that determine the objects to which an animal attends. Early in the evolution of vertebrate species, visual perception was dominated by information transmitted via the midbrain (retinotectal) visual pathway, and attention was probably controlled primarily by a selection network in the midbrain. In contrast, in primates, visual perception is dominated by information transmitted via the forebrain (retinogeniculate) visual pathway, and attention is mediated largely by networks in the forebrain. In birds and nonprimate mammals, both the retinotectal and retinogeniculate pathways contribute critically to visual information processing, and both midbrain and forebrain networks play important roles in controlling attention. The computations and processing strategies in birds and mammals share some strikingly similar characteristics despite over 300 million years of independent evolution and being implemented by distinct brain architectures. The similarity of these functional characteristics suggests that they provide valuable advantages to visual perception in advanced visual systems. A schema is proposed that describes the evolution of the pathways and computations that enable visual perception in vertebrate species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric I Knudsen
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Zachar G, Montagnese C, Fazekas EA, Kemecsei RG, Papp SM, Dóra F, Renner É, Csillag A, Pogány Á, Dobolyi A. Brain Distribution and Sexually Dimorphic Expression of Amylin in Different Reproductive Stages of the Zebra Finch ( Taeniopygia guttata) Suggest Roles of the Neuropeptide in Song Learning and Social Behaviour. Front Neurosci 2020; 13:1401. [PMID: 32009882 PMCID: PMC6971405 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The expression of the recently identified neuropeptide, amylin, is restricted in rodents to the postpartum preoptic area and may play a role in the control of parental behaviours and food intake. These processes are substantially different between bird and rodent parents as birds do not lactate but often show biparental care of the offspring. To establish the presence and role of amylin in the bird brain, in the present study, we investigated the distribution of amylin in brains of adult male and female zebra finches in three different reproductive stages (i.e. paired without young, incubating eggs or provisioning nestlings) and in unpaired control birds living in same sex flocks. Amylin mRNA was identified in the hypothalamus of zebra finch by RT-PCR, which was also used to produce probes for in situ hybridisation. Subsequently, in situ hybridisation histochemistry was performed in brain sections, and the labelling signal was quantified and compared between the groups. Amylin showed a much wider brain distribution than that of rodents. A strong and, in some regions, sexually dimorphic label was found in the striatum and several brain regions of the social behavioural network in both males and females. Many regions responsible for the learning of birdsong also contained amylin-positive neurons, and some regions showed sex differences reflecting the fact that vocalisation is sexually dimorphic in the zebra finch: only males sing. Area X (Ar.X), a striatal song centre present only in males, was labelled in paired but not unpaired male. Ar.X, another song centre, the lateral part of the magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium (lMAN) also contained amylin and had higher amylin label in paired, as opposed to unpaired birds. The wider distribution of amylin in birds as compared to rodents suggests a more general role of amylin in social or other behaviours in avian species than in mammals. Alternatively, parental care in birds may be a more complex behavioural trait involving a wider set of brain regions. The sex differences in song centres, and the changes with reproductive status suggest a participation of amylin in social behaviours and related changes in the singing of males.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gergely Zachar
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Catherine Montagnese
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Emese A Fazekas
- MTA-ELTE Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Róbert G Kemecsei
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Szilvia M Papp
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Fanni Dóra
- Human Brain Tissue Bank and Microdissection Laboratory, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva Renner
- Human Brain Tissue Bank and Microdissection Laboratory, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - András Csillag
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ákos Pogány
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Arpád Dobolyi
- MTA-ELTE Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Billings BK, Behroozi M, Helluy X, Bhagwandin A, Manger PR, Güntürkün O, Ströckens F. A three-dimensional digital atlas of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) forebrain. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:683-703. [PMID: 32009190 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02028-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The phylogenetic position of crocodilians in relation to birds and mammals makes them an interesting animal model for investigating the evolution of the nervous system in amniote vertebrates. A few neuroanatomical atlases are available for reptiles, but with a growing interest in these animals within the comparative neurosciences, a need for these anatomical reference templates is becoming apparent. With the advent of MRI being used more frequently in comparative neuroscience, the aim of this study was to create a three-dimensional MRI-based atlas of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) brain to provide a common reference template for the interpretation of the crocodilian, and more broadly reptilian, brain. Ex vivo MRI acquisitions in combination with histological data were used to delineate crocodilian brain areas at telencephalic, diencephalic, mesencephalic, and rhombencephalic levels. A total of 50 anatomical structures were successfully identified and outlined to create a 3-D model of the Nile crocodile brain. The majority of structures were more readily discerned within the forebrain of the crocodile with the methods used to produce this atlas. The anatomy outlined herein corresponds with both classical and recent crocodilian anatomical analyses, barring a few areas of contention predominantly related to a lack of functional data and conflicting nomenclature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brendon K Billings
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa
| | - Mehdi Behroozi
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Xavier Helluy
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.,Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Paul R Manger
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Felix Ströckens
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Arold ST. Intrinsic negative feedback as a limiting factor for the evolution of higher forms of intelligence. F1000Res 2020; 9:34. [PMID: 34504689 PMCID: PMC8408545 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.22039.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Longstanding scientific efforts have been dedicated to answer why and how our particular intelligence is generated by our brain but not by the brain of other species. However, surprisingly little effort has been made to ask why no other species ever developed an intelligence similar to ours. Here, I explore this question based on genetic and paleontologic evidence. Contrary to the established view, this review suggests that the developmental hurdles alone are not high enough to explain the uniqueness of human intelligence (HI). As an additional explanation I propose that HI is normally not retained by natural selection, because it is, under most conditions, an intrinsically unfavourable trait. This unfavourableness, however, cannot be explained by physical constraints alone; rather, it may also be rooted in the same emotional and social complexity that is necessary for the development of HI. Thus, a major obstacle towards HI may not be solely the development of the required physical assets, but also to cope with harmful individual, social and environmental feedback intrinsically associated with this trait.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan T Arold
- Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, MK, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.,Centre de Biologie Structurale, CNRS, INSERM, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
When pain and stress interact: looking at stress-induced analgesia and hyperalgesia in birds. WORLD POULTRY SCI J 2019. [DOI: 10.1017/s0043933919000382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
|
32
|
Genzel D, Desai J, Paras E, Yartsev MM. Long-term and persistent vocal plasticity in adult bats. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3372. [PMID: 31358755 PMCID: PMC6662767 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11350-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats exhibit a diverse and complex vocabulary of social communication calls some of which are believed to be learned during development. This ability to produce learned, species-specific vocalizations – a rare trait in the animal kingdom – requires a high-degree of vocal plasticity. Bats live extremely long lives in highly complex and dynamic social environments, which suggests that they might also retain a high degree of vocal plasticity in adulthood, much as humans do. Here, we report persistent vocal plasticity in adult bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) following exposure to broad-band, acoustic perturbation. Our results show that adult bats can not only modify distinct parameters of their vocalizations, but that these changes persist even after noise cessation – in some cases lasting several weeks or months. Combined, these findings underscore the potential importance of bats as a model organism for studies of vocal plasticity, including in adulthood. Bats are long-lived animals that can produce a complex vocabulary of social communication calls. Here, the authors show that even in adulthood, bats retain the ability to adaptively introduce long-term modifications to their vocalizations, showing persistent vocal plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daria Genzel
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Janki Desai
- Department of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Elana Paras
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Michael M Yartsev
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Department of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Multiphase progenetic development shaped the brain of flying archosaurs. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10807. [PMID: 31346192 PMCID: PMC6658547 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46959-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The growing availability of virtual cranial endocasts of extinct and extant vertebrates has fueled the quest for endocranial characters that discriminate between phylogenetic groups and resolve their neural significances. We used geometric morphometrics to compare a phylogenetically and ecologically comprehensive data set of archosaurian endocasts along the deep evolutionary history of modern birds and found that this lineage experienced progressive elevation of encephalisation through several chapters of increased endocranial doming that we demonstrate to result from progenetic developments. Elevated encephalisation associated with progressive size reduction within Maniraptoriformes was secondarily exapted for flight by stem avialans. Within Mesozoic Avialae, endocranial doming increased in at least some Ornithurae, yet remained relatively modest in early Neornithes. During the Paleogene, volant non-neoavian birds retained ancestral levels of endocast doming where a broad neoavian niche diversification experienced heterochronic brain shape radiation, as did non-volant Palaeognathae. We infer comparable developments underlying the establishment of pterosaurian brain shapes.
Collapse
|
34
|
Salerno M, Ferrer E, Wei S, Li X, Gao W, Ouellette D, Balanoff A, Vaska P. Behavioral neuroimaging in birds using PET. J Neurosci Methods 2019; 317:157-164. [PMID: 30710608 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Birds comprise the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates. This success likely is related to the evolution of powered flight over 75 mya. Modern approaches for studying brain function, however, have yet to be fully adapted and applied to birds, especially as they relate to specific behaviors including flight. New method: We have developed a comprehensive set of in vivo experimental methods utilizing PET imaging with F-18 labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) to study regional changes in metabolism specifically related to flight, yet applicable to other behaviors as well. It incorporates approaches for selection of species, behavioral/imaging paradigm, animal preparation, radiotracer injection route, image quantification, and image analysis via an enhanced brain atlas. We also carried out preliminary modeling studies to better understand tracer kinetics. RESULTS The methods were successful in identifying brain regions statistically associated with flight using only 8 animals. Peak brain uptake of FDG between birds and rodents is similar despite much higher blood glucose levels in birds. We also confirmed that brain uptake of FDG steadily decreases after the initial peak and provide evidence that it may be related to greater dephosphorylation of FDG phosphate than that observed in mammals. Comparison with existing methods: FDG PET has been used in only a few studies of the bird brain. We introduce a new species, more realistic flight behavior, paired (test/retest) design, and improved quantification and analysis approaches. CONCLUSIONS The proposed imaging protocol is non-invasive yet sensitive to regional metabolic changes in the bird brain related to behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Salerno
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
| | - Elizabeth Ferrer
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-8081, USA
| | - Shouyi Wei
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
| | - Xiang Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
| | - Wenrong Gao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
| | - David Ouellette
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
| | - Amy Balanoff
- Johns Hopkins University, Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA; American Museum of Natural History, Division of Paleontology, New York, NY, 10024, USA.
| | - Paul Vaska
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA; Department of Radiology, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
García-Moreno F, Anderton E, Jankowska M, Begbie J, Encinas JM, Irimia M, Molnár Z. Absence of Tangentially Migrating Glutamatergic Neurons in the Developing Avian Brain. Cell Rep 2019; 22:96-109. [PMID: 29298437 PMCID: PMC5770341 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Several neuronal populations orchestrate neocortical development during mammalian embryogenesis. These include the glutamatergic subplate-, Cajal-Retzius-, and ventral pallium-derived populations, which coordinate cortical wiring, migration, and proliferation, respectively. These transient populations are primarily derived from other non-cortical pallial sources that migrate to the dorsal pallium. Are these migrations to the dorsal pallium conserved in amniotes or are they specific to mammals? Using in ovo electroporation, we traced the entire lineage of defined chick telencephalic progenitors. We found that several pallial sources that produce tangential migratory neurons in mammals only produced radially migrating neurons in the avian brain. Moreover, ectopic expression of VP-specific mammalian Dbx1 in avian brains altered neurogenesis but did not convert the migration into a mammal-like tangential movement. Together, these data indicate that tangential cellular contributions of glutamatergic neurons originate from outside the dorsal pallium and that pallial Dbx1 expression may underlie the generation of the mammalian neocortex during evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fernando García-Moreno
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK; Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Parque Científico UPV/EHU Edif. Sede, 48940 Leioa, Spain; IKERBASQUE Foundation, María Díaz de Haro 3, 6th Floor, 48013 Bilbao, Spain.
| | - Edward Anderton
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Marta Jankowska
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK; College of Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland; Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Ilji Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jo Begbie
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Juan Manuel Encinas
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Parque Científico UPV/EHU Edif. Sede, 48940 Leioa, Spain; IKERBASQUE Foundation, María Díaz de Haro 3, 6th Floor, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Manuel Irimia
- EMBL/CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Zoltán Molnár
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Knudsen EI. Neural Circuits That Mediate Selective Attention: A Comparative Perspective. Trends Neurosci 2018; 41:789-805. [PMID: 30075867 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Selective attention is central to cognition. Dramatic advances have been made in understanding the neural circuits that mediate selective attention. Forebrain networks, most elaborated in primates, control all forms of attention based on task demands and the physical salience of stimuli. These networks contain circuits that distribute top-down signals to sensory processing areas and enhance information processing in those areas. A midbrain network, most elaborated in birds, controls spatial attention. It contains circuits that continuously compute the highest priority stimulus location and route sensory information from the selected location to forebrain networks that make cognitive decisions. The identification of these circuits, their functions and mechanisms represent a major advance in our understanding of how the vertebrate brain mediates selective attention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric I Knudsen
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5125, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Reiner A, Fitzgerald MEC, Del Mar N, Li C. Neural control of choroidal blood flow. Prog Retin Eye Res 2018; 64:96-130. [PMID: 29229444 PMCID: PMC5971129 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2017.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The choroid is richly innervated by parasympathetic, sympathetic and trigeminal sensory nerve fibers that regulate choroidal blood flow in birds and mammals, and presumably other vertebrate classes as well. The parasympathetic innervation has been shown to vasodilate and increase choroidal blood flow, the sympathetic input has been shown to vasoconstrict and decrease choroidal blood flow, and the sensory input has been shown to both convey pain and thermal information centrally and act locally to vasodilate and increase choroidal blood flow. As the choroid lies behind the retina and cannot respond readily to retinal metabolic signals, its innervation is important for adjustments in flow required by either retinal activity, by fluctuations in the systemic blood pressure driving choroidal perfusion, and possibly by retinal temperature. The former two appear to be mediated by the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, via central circuits responsive to retinal activity and systemic blood pressure, but adjustments for ocular perfusion pressure also appear to be influenced by local autoregulatory myogenic mechanisms. Adaptive choroidal responses to temperature may be mediated by trigeminal sensory fibers. Impairments in the neural control of choroidal blood flow occur with aging, and various ocular or systemic diseases such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), hypertension, and diabetes, and may contribute to retinal pathology and dysfunction in these conditions, or in the case of AMD be a precondition. The present manuscript reviews findings in birds and mammals that contribute to the above-summarized understanding of the roles of the autonomic and sensory innervation of the choroid in controlling choroidal blood flow, and in the importance of such regulation for maintaining retinal health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anton Reiner
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Tennessee, 855 Monroe Ave. Memphis, TN 38163, United States; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tennessee, 855 Monroe Ave. Memphis, TN 38163, United States.
| | - Malinda E C Fitzgerald
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Tennessee, 855 Monroe Ave. Memphis, TN 38163, United States; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tennessee, 855 Monroe Ave. Memphis, TN 38163, United States; Department of Biology, Christian Brothers University, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Nobel Del Mar
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Tennessee, 855 Monroe Ave. Memphis, TN 38163, United States
| | - Chunyan Li
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Tennessee, 855 Monroe Ave. Memphis, TN 38163, United States
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
McIlhone AE, Beausoleil NJ, Kells NJ, Mellor DJ, Johnson CB. Effects of noxious stimuli on the electroencephalogram of anaesthetised chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196454. [PMID: 29698446 PMCID: PMC5919483 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The reliable assessment and management of avian pain is important in the context of animal welfare. Overtly expressed signs of pain vary substantially between and within species, strains and individuals, limiting the use of behaviour in pain studies. Similarly, physiological indices of pain can also vary and may be confounded by influence from non-painful stimuli. In mammals, changes in the frequency spectrum of the electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded under light anaesthesia (the minimal anaesthesia model; MAM) have been shown to reliably indicate cerebral responses to noxious stimuli in a range of species. The aim of the current study was to determine whether the MAM can be applied to the study of nociception in birds. Ten chickens were lightly anaesthetised with halothane and their EEG recorded using surface electrodes during the application of supramaximal mechanical, thermal and electrical noxious stimuli. Spectral analysis revealed no EEG responses to any of these stimuli. Given that birds possess the neural apparatus to detect and process pain, and that the applied noxious stimuli elicit behavioural signs of pain in conscious chickens, this lack of response probably relates to methodological limitations. Anatomical differences between the avian and mammalian brains, along with a paucity of knowledge regarding specific sites of pain processing in the avian brain, could mean that EEG recorded from the head surface is insensitive to changes in neural activity in the pain processing regions of the avian brain. Future investigations should examine alternative electrode placement sites, based on avian homologues of the mammalian brain regions involved in pain processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda E. McIlhone
- Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Ngaio J. Beausoleil
- Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
- * E-mail:
| | - Nikki J. Kells
- Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - David J. Mellor
- Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Craig B. Johnson
- Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Belekhova MG, Vasilyev DS, Kenigfest NB, Chudinova TV. Calcium-Binding Proteins and Cytochrome Oxidase Activity in the Pigeon Entopallium: A Comparative Analysis of Interspecies Variability as Related to the Discussion on Avian Entopallium Homology. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2018. [DOI: 10.1134/s0022093018010088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
|
40
|
Spatial Cognition and Range Use in Free-Range Laying Hens. Animals (Basel) 2018; 8:ani8020026. [PMID: 29419742 PMCID: PMC5836034 DOI: 10.3390/ani8020026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2018] [Accepted: 02/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Individual free-range laying hens vary in their use of the outdoor range. The outdoor environment is typically more complex and variable than indoor housing and thus range use may be related to differences in spatial abilities. Individual adult hens that never went outside were slower to learn a T-maze task—which requires birds to repeatedly find a food reward in one arm of the maze, compared to outdoor-preferring hens. Pullets that were faster to learn the maze also showed more visits to the range in their first month of range access but only in one of two tested groups. Early enrichment improved learning of the maze but only when the birds were tested before onset of lay. Fear may play a role in inhibiting bird’s spatial learning and their range use. More studies of different enriched rearing treatments and their impacts on fear and learning would be needed to confirm these findings. Overall, these results contribute to our understanding of why some birds choose to never access the outdoor range area. Abstract Radio-frequency identification tracking shows individual free-range laying hens vary in range use, with some never going outdoors. The range is typically more environmentally complex, requiring navigation to return to the indoor resources. Outdoor-preferring hens may have improved spatial abilities compared to indoor-preferring hens. Experiment 1 tested 32 adult ISA Brown hens in a T-maze learning task that showed exclusively-indoor birds were slowest to reach the learning success criterion (p < 0.05). Experiment 2 tested 117 pullets from enriched or non-enriched early rearing treatments (1 pen replicate per treatment) in the same maze at 15–16 or 17–18 weeks. Enriched birds reached learning success criterion faster at 15–16 weeks (p < 0.05) but not at 17–18 weeks (p > 0.05), the age that coincided with the onset of lay. Enriched birds that were faster to learn the maze task showed more range visits in the first 4 weeks of range access. Enriched and non-enriched birds showed no differences in telencephalon or hippocampal volume (p > 0.05). Fear may reduce spatial abilities but further testing with more pen replicates per early rearing treatments would improve our understanding of the relationship between spatial cognitive abilities and range use.
Collapse
|
41
|
Wood JN. Spontaneous Preference for Slowly Moving Objects in Visually Naïve Animals. Open Mind (Camb) 2017. [DOI: 10.1162/opmi_a_00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
To perceive the world successfully, newborns need certain types of visual experiences. The development of object recognition, for example, requires visual experience with slowly moving objects. To date, however, it is unknown whether newborns actively seek out the best visual experiences for developing object recognition. To address this question, I used an automated controlled-rearing method to examine whether visually naïve animals (newborn chicks) seek out slowly moving objects. Despite receiving equal exposure to slowly and to quickly rotating objects, the majority of the chicks developed a preference for slowly rotating objects. This preference was robust, producing large effect sizes across objects, experiments, and successive test days. These results indicate that newborn brains rapidly develop mechanisms for orienting young animals toward optimal visual experiences, thus facilitating the development of object recognition. This study also demonstrates that automation can be a valuable tool for studying the origins and development of visual preferences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin N. Wood
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Baldwin MKL, Balaram P, Kaas JH. The evolution and functions of nuclei of the visual pulvinar in primates. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:3207-3226. [PMID: 28653446 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we outline the history of our current understanding of the organization of the pulvinar complex of mammals. We include more recent evidence from our own studies of both New and Old World monkeys, prosimian galagos, and close relatives of primates, including tree shrews and rodents. Based on cumulative evidence, we provide insights into the possible evolution of the visual pulvinar complex, as well as the possible co-evolution of the inferior pulvinar nuclei and temporal cortical visual areas within the MT complex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary K L Baldwin
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.,Center for Neuroscience, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Pooja Balaram
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.,Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Jon H Kaas
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Guy J, Staiger JF. The Functioning of a Cortex without Layers. Front Neuroanat 2017; 11:54. [PMID: 28747874 PMCID: PMC5506093 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2017.00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
A major hallmark of cortical organization is the existence of a variable number of layers, i.e., sheets of neurons stacked on top of each other, in which neurons have certain commonalities. However, even for the neocortex, variable numbers of layers have been described and it is just a convention to distinguish six layers from each other. Whether cortical layers are a structural epiphenomenon caused by developmental dynamics or represent a functionally important modularization of cortical computation is still unknown. Here we present our insights from the reeler mutant mouse, a model for a developmental, “molecular lesion”-induced loss of cortical layering that could serve as ground truth of what an intact layering adds to the cortex in terms of functionality. We could demonstrate that the reeler neocortex shows no inversion of cortical layers but rather a severe disorganization that in the primary somatosensory cortex leads to the complete loss of layers. Nevertheless, the somatosensory system is well organized. When exploring an enriched environment with specific sets of whiskers, activity-dependent gene expression takes place in the corresponding modules. Precise whisker stimuli lead to the functional activation of somatotopically organized barrel columns as visualized by intrinsic signal optical imaging. Similar results were obtained in the reeler visual system. When analyzing pathways that could be responsible for preservation of tactile perception, lemniscal thalamic projections were found to be largely intact, despite the smearing of target neurons across the cortical mantle. However, with optogenetic experiments we found evidence for a mild dispersion of thalamic synapse targeting on layer IV-spiny stellate cells, together with a general weakening in thalamocortical input strength. This weakening of thalamic inputs was compensated by intracortical mechanisms involving increased recurrent excitation and/or reduced feedforward inhibition. In conclusion, a layer loss so far only led to the detection of subtle defects in sensory processing by reeler mice. This argues in favor of a view in which cortical layers are not an essential component for basic perception and cognition. A view also supported by recent studies in birds, which can have remarkable cognitive capacities despite the lack of a neocortex with multiple cortical layers. In conclusion, we suggest that future studies directed toward understanding cortical functions should rather focus on circuits specified by functional cell type composition than mere laminar location.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julien Guy
- Institute for Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-UniversityGöttingen, Germany
| | - Jochen F Staiger
- Institute for Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-UniversityGöttingen, Germany.,DFG Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain (CNMPB)Göttingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Floccular fossa size is not a reliable proxy of ecology and behaviour in vertebrates. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2005. [PMID: 28515458 PMCID: PMC5435717 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01981-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebellar floccular and parafloccular lobes are housed in fossae of the periotic region of the skull of different vertebrates. Experimental evidence indicates that the lobes integrate visual and vestibular information and control the vestibulo-ocular reflex, vestibulo-collic reflex, smooth pursuit and gaze holding. Multiple paleoneuroanatomy studies have deduced the behaviour of fossil vertebrates by measuring the floccular fossae (FF). These studies assumed that there are correlations between FF volume and behaviour. However, these assumptions have not been fully tested. Here, we used micro-CT scans of extant mammals (47 species) and birds (59 species) to test six possible morphological-functional associations between FF volume and ecological/behavioural traits of extant animals. Behaviour and ecology do not explain FF volume variability in four out of six variables tested. Two variables with significant results require further empirical testing. Cerebellum plasticity may explain the lack of statistical evidence for the hypotheses tested. Therefore, variation in FF volume seems to be better explained by a combination of factors such as anatomical and phylogenetic evolutionary constraints, and further empirical testing is required.
Collapse
|
45
|
Wild JM. The ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata): Afferent and efferent projections in relation to the control of reproductive behavior. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:2657-2676. [PMID: 28420031 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Revised: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Sex-specific mating behaviors occur in a variety of mammals, with the medial preoptic nucleus (POM) and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) mediating control of male and female sexual behavior, respectively. In birds, likewise, POM is predominantly involved in the control of male reproductive behavior, but the degree to which VMH is involved in female reproductive behavior is unclear. Here, in male and female zebra finches, a combination of aromatase immunohistochemistry and conventional tract tracing facilitated the definition of two separate but adjacent nuclei in the basal hypothalamus: an oblique band of aromatase-positive (AR+) neurons, and ventromedial to this, an ovoid, aromatase-negative (AR-) nucleus. The AR- nucleus, but not the AR+ nucleus, was here shown to receive a projection from rostral parts of the thalamic auditory nucleus ovoidalis and from the nucleus of the tractus ovoidalis. The AR- nucleus also receives an overlapping, major projection from previously uncharted regions of the medial arcopallium and a minor projection from the caudomedial nidopallium. Both the AR- and the AR+ nuclei project to the intercollicular nucleus of the midbrain. No obvious sex differences in either the pattern of AR immunoreactivity or of the afferent projections to the AR- nucleus were observed. The significance of these results in terms of the acoustic control of avian reproductive behavior is discussed, and a comparison with the organization of VMH afferents in lizards suggests a homologous similarity of the caudal telencephalon in sauropsids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Martin Wild
- Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Di Giorgio E, Loveland JL, Mayer U, Rosa-Salva O, Versace E, Vallortigara G. Filial responses as predisposed and learned preferences: Early attachment in chicks and babies. Behav Brain Res 2017; 325:90-104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
|
47
|
Kenigfest NB, Belekhova MG, Chudinova TV. Distribution of calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin and calbindin in the pigeon telencephalic auditory center. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2017. [DOI: 10.1134/s1234567817020070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
48
|
Wullimann MF. Nervous System Architecture in Vertebrates. THE WILEY HANDBOOK OF EVOLUTIONARY NEUROSCIENCE 2016:236-278. [DOI: 10.1002/9781118316757.ch9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
|
49
|
Abstract
Birds have evolved behavioral and morphological adaptations for powered flight. Many aspects of this transition are unknown, including the neuroanatomical changes that made flight possible [1]. To understand how the avian brain drives this complex behavior, we utilized positron emission tomography (PET) scanning and the tracer (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) to document regional metabolic activity in the brain associated with a variety of locomotor behaviors. FDG studies are typically employed in rats [2] though the technology has been applied to birds [3]. We examined whole-brain function in European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), trained to fly in a wind tunnel while metabolizing the tracer. Drawing on predictions from early anatomical studies [4], we hypothesized increased metabolic activity in the Wulst and functionally related visual brain regions during flight. We found that flight behaviors correlated positively with entopallia and Wulst activity, but negatively with thalamic activity.
Collapse
|
50
|
Vieira PG, de Sousa JPM, Baron J. Contrast response functions in the visual wulst of the alert burrowing owl: a single-unit study. J Neurophysiol 2016; 116:1765-1784. [PMID: 27466135 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00505.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuronal representation of luminance contrast has not been thoroughly studied in birds. Here we present a detailed quantitative analysis of the contrast response of 120 individual neurons recorded from the visual wulst of awake burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia). Stimuli were sine-wave gratings presented within the cell classical receptive field and optimized in terms of eye preference, direction of drift, and spatiotemporal frequency. As contrast intensity was increased from zero to near 100%, most cells exhibited a monotonic response profile with a compressive, at times saturating, nonlinearity at higher contrasts. However, contrast response functions were found to have a highly variable shape across cells. With the view to capture a systematic trend in the data, we assessed the performance of four plausible models (linear, power, logarithmic, and hyperbolic ratio) using classical goodness-of-fit measures and more rigorous statistical tools for multimodel inferences based on the Akaike information criterion. From this analysis, we conclude that a high degree of model uncertainty is present in our data, meaning that no single descriptor is able on its own to capture the heterogeneous nature of single-unit contrast responses in the wulst. We further show that the generalizability of the hyperbolic ratio model established, for example, in the primary visual cortex of cats and monkeys is not tenable in the owl wulst mainly because most neurons in this area have a much wider dynamic range that starts at low contrast. The challenge for future research will be to understand the functional implications of these findings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Gabrielle Vieira
- Graduate Program in Physiology and Pharmacology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - João Paulo Machado de Sousa
- Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; and
| | - Jerome Baron
- Graduate Program in Physiology and Pharmacology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; and Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|