Developmental origins of mosaic brain evolution: Morphometric analysis of the developing zebra finch brain

Timing and Distribution of Mitotic Activity in the Retina During Precocial and Altricial Modes of Avian Development

During development of the vertebrate retina, mitotic activity is defined as apical when is located at the external surface of the neuroepithelium or as non-apical when is found in more internal regions. Apical mitoses give rise to all retinal cell types. Non-apical mitoses are linked to committed horizontal cell precursors that subsequently migrate vitreo-sclerally, reaching their final position in the outer surface of the inner nuclear layer, where they differentiate. Previous studies have suggested differences in the timing of retinal maturation between altricial and precocial bird species. In the present study we analyze qualitatively and quantitatively the mitotic activity in the developing retina of an altricial (zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata) and a precocial (Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix) bird species. We found that pHisH3-immunoreactive apical and non-apical mitoses were abundant in the T. guttata retina at the hatching stage. In contrast, pHisH3 immunoreactivity almost disappeared from the quail retina at the embryonic day 10 (E10). Furthermore, we also found that the onset of the appearance of non-apical mitoses occurred at later stages in the altricial bird species than in the precocial one. The disappearance of apical mitoses and the spatiotemporal distribution of non-apical mitoses followed central to peripheral and dorsal to ventral gradients, similar to gradients of cell differentiation described in the retina of birds. Therefore, these results suggest that retinal neurogenesis is active at the hatching stage in T. guttata, and that horizontal cell differentiation is delayed in the altricial bird species compared to the precocial one. Together, this study reveals important insights into the timing differences that regulate bird retinal maturation and provides a better understanding of the evolution of avian altriciality and precociality.

Neurogenesis and the development of neural sex differences in vocal control regions of songbirds

The brain regions that control the learning and production of song and other learned vocalizations in songbirds exhibit some of the largest sex differences in the brain known in vertebrates and are associated with sex differences in singing behavior. Song learning takes place through multiple stages: an early sensory phase when song models are memorized, followed by a sensorimotor phase in which auditory feedback is used to modify song output through subsong, plastic song, to adult crystalized song. However, how patterns of neurogenesis in these brain regions change through these learning stages, and differ between the sexes, is little explored. We collected brains from 63 young male and female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) over four stages of song learning. Using neurogenesis markers for cell division (proliferating cell nuclear antigen), neuron migration (doublecortin), and mature neurons (neuron-specific nuclear protein), we demonstrate that there are sex-specific changes in neurogenesis over song development that differ between the caudal motor pathway and anterior forebrain pathway of the vocal control circuit. In many of these regions, sex differences emerged very early in development, by 25 days post hatch, at the beginning of song learning. The emergence of sex differences in other components of the system was more gradual and had specific trajectories depending on the brain region and its function. In conclusion, we found that sex differences occurred early and continued during song learning. Moreover, transitions from the different phases of song development do not seem to depend on large changes in neurogenesis in the vocal control areas measured.

Putative adult neurogenesis in palaeognathous birds: The common ostrich (Struthio camelus) and emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

In the current study, we examined adult neurogenesis throughout the brain of the common ostrich (Struthio camelus) and emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) using immunohistochemistry for the endogenous markers PCNA which labels proliferating cells, and DCX, which stains immature and migrating neurons. The distribution of PCNA and DCX labelled cells was widespread throughout the brain of both species. The highest density of cells immunoreactive to both markers was observed in the olfactory bulbs and the telencephalon, especially the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricle. Proliferative hot spots, identified with strong PCNA and DCX immunolabelling, were identified in the dorsal and ventral poles of the rostral aspects of the lateral ventricles. The density of PCNA immunoreactive cells was less in the telencephalon of the emu compared to the common ostrich. Substantial numbers of PCNA immunoreactive cells were observed in the diencephalon and brainstem, but DCX immunoreactivity was weaker in these regions, preferentially staining axons and dendrites over cell bodies, except in the medial regions of the hypothalamus where distinct DCX immunoreactive cells and fibres were observed. PCNA and DCX immunoreactive cells were readily observed in moderate density in the cortical layers of the cerebellum of both species. The distribution of putative proliferating cells and immature neurons in the brain of the common ostrich and the emu is widespread, far more so than in mammals, and compares with the neognathous birds, and suggests that brain plasticity and neuronal turnover is an important aspect of cognitive brain functions in these birds.

Extreme Enlargement of the Cerebellum in a Clade of Teleost Fishes that Evolved a Novel Active Sensory System

Brains, and the distinct regions that make up brains, vary widely in size across vertebrates [1, 2]. Two prominent hypotheses have been proposed to explain brain region scaling evolution. The mosaic hypothesis proposes that changes in the relative sizes of particular brain regions are the result of selection acting independently on those regions [2, 3]. The concerted hypothesis proposes that the brain evolves as a coordinated structure due to developmental constraints [4]. These hypotheses have been widely debated [3-7], and recent studies suggest a combination of the two best describes vertebrate brain region scaling [8-10]. However, no study has addressed how the mosaic and concerted models relate to the evolution of novel behavioral phenotypes. We addressed this question using African mormyroid fishes. The mormyroids have evolved a novel active electrosensory system and are well known for having extreme encephalization [11] and a large cerebellum [2, 12], which is cited as a possible example of mosaic evolution [2]. We found that compared to outgroups without active electrosensing, mormyroids experienced mosaic increases in the sizes of the cerebellum and hindbrain, and mosaic decreases in the sizes of the telencephalon, optic tectum, and olfactory bulb. However, the evolution of extreme encephalization within mormyroids was associated with concerted changes in the sizes of all brain regions. This suggests that mosaic evolutionary change in the regional composition of the brain is most likely to occur alongside the evolution of novel behavioral functions, but not with the evolution of extreme encephalization.

Study of pallial neurogenesis in shark embryos and the evolutionary origin of the subventricular zone

The dorsal part of the developing telencephalon is one of the brain areas that has suffered most drastic changes throughout vertebrate evolution. Its evolutionary increase in complexity was thought to be partly achieved by the appearance of a new neurogenic niche in the embryonic subventricular zone (SVZ). Here, a new kind of amplifying progenitors (basal progenitors) expressing Tbr2, undergo a second round of divisions, which is believed to have contributed to the expansion of the neocortex. Accordingly, the existence of a pallial SVZ has been classically considered exclusive of mammals. However, the lack of studies in ancient vertebrates precludes any clear conclusion about the evolutionary origin of the SVZ and the neurogenic mechanisms that rule pallial development. In this work, we explore pallial neurogenesis in a basal vertebrate, the shark Scyliorhinus canicula, through the study of the expression patterns of several neurogenic markers. We found that apical progenitors and radial migration are present in sharks, and therefore, their presence must be highly conserved throughout evolution. Surprisingly, we detected a subventricular band of ScTbr2-expressing cells, some of which also expressed mitotic markers, indicating that the existence of basal progenitors should be considered an ancestral condition rather than a novelty of mammals or amniotes. Finally, we report that the transcriptional program for the specification of glutamatergic pallial cells (Pax6, Tbr2, NeuroD, Tbr1) is also present in sharks. However, the segregation of these markers into different cell types is not clear yet, which may be linked to the lack of layering in anamniotes.

Putative Adult Neurogenesis in Old World Parrots: The Congo African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) and Timneh Grey Parrot (Psittacus timneh)

In the current study, we examined for the first time, the potential for adult neurogenesis throughout the brain of the Congo African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) and Timneh grey parrot (Psittacus timneh) using immunohistochemistry for the endogenous markers proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which labels proliferating cells, and doublecortin (DCX), which stains immature and migrating neurons. A similar distribution of PCNA and DCX immunoreactivity was found throughout the brain of the Congo African grey and Timneh grey parrots, but minor differences were also observed. In both species of parrots, PCNA and DCX immunoreactivity was observed in the olfactory bulbs, subventricular zone of the lateral wall of the lateral ventricle, telencephalic subdivisions of the pallium and subpallium, diencephalon, mesencephalon and the rhombencephalon. The olfactory bulb and telencephalic subdivisions exhibited a higher density of both PCNA and DCX immunoreactive cells than any other brain region. DCX immunoreactive staining was stronger in the telencephalon than in the subtelencephalic structures. There was evidence of proliferative hot spots in the dorsal and ventral poles of the lateral ventricle in the Congo African grey parrots at rostral levels, whereas only the dorsal accumulation of proliferating cells was observed in the Timneh grey parrot. In most pallial regions the density of PCNA and DCX stained cells increased from rostral to caudal levels with the densest staining in the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL). The widespread distribution of PCNA and DCX in the brains of both parrot species suggest the importance of adult neurogenesis and neuronal plasticity during learning and adaptation to external environmental variations.

Early life manipulations of vasopressin-family peptides alter vocal learning

Vocal learning from social partners is crucial for the successful development of communication in a wide range of species. Social interactions organize attention and enhance motivation to learn species-typical behaviour. However, the neurobiological mechanisms connecting social motivation and vocal learning are unknown. Using zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), a ubiquitous model for vocal learning, we show that manipulations of nonapeptide hormones in the vasopressin family (arginine vasotocin, AVT) early in development can promote or disrupt both song and social motivation. Young male zebra finches, like human infants, are socially gregarious and require interactive feedback from adult tutors to learn mature vocal forms. To investigate the role of social motivational mechanisms in song learning, in two studies, we injected hatchling males with AVT or Manning compound (MC, a nonapeptide receptor antagonist) on days 2-8 post-hatching and recorded song at maturity. In both studies, MC males produced a worse match to tutor song than controls. In study 2, which experimentally controlled for tutor and genetic factors, AVT males also learned song significantly better compared with controls. Furthermore, song similarity correlated with several measures of social motivation throughout development. These findings provide the first evidence that nonapeptides are critical to the development of vocal learning.

Concerted and mosaic evolution of functional modules in songbird brains

Vertebrate brains differ in overall size, composition and functional capacities, but the evolutionary processes linking these traits are unclear. Two leading models offer opposing views: the concerted model ascribes major dimensions of covariation in brain structures to developmental events, whereas the mosaic model relates divergent structures to functional capabilities. The models are often cast as incompatible, but they must be unified to explain how adaptive changes in brain structure arise from pre-existing architectures and developmental mechanisms. Here we show that variation in the sizes of discrete neural systems in songbirds, a species-rich group exhibiting diverse behavioural and ecological specializations, supports major elements of both models. In accordance with the concerted model, most variation in nucleus volumes is shared across functional domains and allometry is related to developmental sequence. Per the mosaic model, residual variation in nucleus volumes is correlated within functional systems and predicts specific behavioural capabilities. These comparisons indicate that oscine brains evolved primarily as a coordinated whole but also experienced significant, independent modifications to dedicated systems from specific selection pressures. Finally, patterns of covariation between species and brain areas hint at underlying developmental mechanisms.

Brain evolution and development: adaptation, allometry and constraint

Phenotypic traits are products of two processes: evolution and development. But how do these processes combine to produce integrated phenotypes? Comparative studies identify consistent patterns of covariation, or allometries, between brain and body size, and between brain components, indicating the presence of significant constraints limiting independent evolution of separate parts. These constraints are poorly understood, but in principle could be either developmental or functional. The developmental constraints hypothesis suggests that individual components (brain and body size, or individual brain components) tend to evolve together because natural selection operates on relatively simple developmental mechanisms that affect the growth of all parts in a concerted manner. The functional constraints hypothesis suggests that correlated change reflects the action of selection on distributed functional systems connecting the different sub-components, predicting more complex patterns of mosaic change at the level of the functional systems and more complex genetic and developmental mechanisms. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive but make different predictions. We review recent genetic and neurodevelopmental evidence, concluding that functional rather than developmental constraints are the main cause of the observed patterns.

Expression of regulatory genes in the embryonic brain of a lizard and implications for understanding pallial organization and evolution

The comparison of gene expression patterns in the embryonic brain of mouse and chicken is being essential for understanding pallial organization. However, the scarcity of gene expression data in reptiles, crucial for understanding evolution, makes it difficult to identify homologues of pallial divisions in different amniotes. We cloned and analyzed the expression of the genes Emx1, Lhx2, Lhx9, and Tbr1 in the embryonic telencephalon of the lacertid lizard Psammodromus algirus. The comparative expression patterns of these genes, critical for pallial development, are better understood when using a recently proposed six‐part model of pallial divisions. The lizard medial pallium, expressing all genes, includes the medial and dorsomedial cortices, and the majority of the dorsal cortex, except the region of the lateral cortical superposition. The latter is rich in Lhx9 expression, being excluded as a candidate of dorsal or lateral pallia, and may belong to a distinct dorsolateral pallium, which extends from rostral to caudal levels. Thus, the neocortex homolog cannot be found in the classical reptilian dorsal cortex, but perhaps in a small Emx1‐expressing/Lhx9‐negative area at the front of the telencephalon, resembling the avian hyperpallium. The ventral pallium, expressing Lhx9, but not Emx1, gives rise to the dorsal ventricular ridge and appears comparable to the avian nidopallium. We also identified a distinct ventrocaudal pallial sector comparable to the avian arcopallium and to part of the mammalian pallial amygdala. These data open new venues for understanding the organization and evolution of the pallium.

Birds have primate-like numbers of neurons in the forebrain

Some birds achieve primate-like levels of cognition, even though their brains tend to be much smaller in absolute size. This poses a fundamental problem in comparative and computational neuroscience, because small brains are expected to have a lower information-processing capacity. Using the isotropic fractionator to determine numbers of neurons in specific brain regions, here we show that the brains of parrots and songbirds contain on average twice as many neurons as primate brains of the same mass, indicating that avian brains have higher neuron packing densities than mammalian brains. Additionally, corvids and parrots have much higher proportions of brain neurons located in the pallial telencephalon compared with primates or other mammals and birds. Thus, large-brained parrots and corvids have forebrain neuron counts equal to or greater than primates with much larger brains. We suggest that the large numbers of neurons concentrated in high densities in the telencephalon substantially contribute to the neural basis of avian intelligence.

Endocrine and social regulation of adult neurogenesis in songbirds

The identification of pronounced seasonal changes in the volume of avian song control nuclei stimulated the discovery of adult neurogenesis in songbirds as well as renewed studies in mammals including humans. Neurogenesis in songbirds is modulated by testosterone and other factors such as photoperiod, singing activity and social environment. Adult neurogenesis has been widely studied by labeling, with tritiated thymidine or its analog BrdU, cells duplicating their DNA in anticipation of their last mitotic division and following their fate as new neurons. New methods based on endogenous markers of cell cycling or of various stages of neuronal life have allowed for additional progress. In particular immunocytochemical visualization of the microtubule-associated protein doublecortin has provided an integrated view of neuronal replacement in the song control nucleus HVC. Multiple questions remain however concerning the specific steps in the neuronal life cycle that are modulated by various factors and the underlying cellular mechanisms.

Brain size and limits to adult neurogenesis

The walls of the cerebral ventricles in the developing embryo harbor the primary neural stem cells from which most neurons and glia derive. In many vertebrates, neurogenesis continues postnatally and into adulthood in this region. Adult neurogenesis at the ventricle has been most extensively studied in organisms with small brains, such as reptiles, birds, and rodents. In reptiles and birds, these progenitor cells give rise to young neurons that migrate into many regions of the forebrain. Neurogenesis in adult rodents is also relatively widespread along the lateral ventricles, but migration is largely restricted to the rostral migratory stream into the olfactory bulb. Recent work indicates that the wall of the lateral ventricle is highly regionalized, with progenitor cells giving rise to different types of neurons depending on their location. In species with larger brains, young neurons born in these spatially specified domains become dramatically separated from potential final destinations. Here we hypothesize that the increase in size and topographical complexity (e.g., intervening white matter tracts) in larger brains may severely limit the long-term contribution of new neurons born close to, or in, the ventricular wall. We compare the process of adult neuronal birth, migration, and integration across species with different brain sizes, and discuss how early regional specification of progenitor cells may interact with brain size and affect where and when new neurons are added.

Characterization of the finch embryo supports evolutionary conservation of the naive stage of development in amniotes

Innate pluripotency of mouse embryos transits from naive to primed state as the inner cell mass differentiates into epiblast. In vitro, their counterparts are embryonic (ESCs) and epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs), respectively. Activation of the FGF signaling cascade results in mouse ESCs differentiating into mEpiSCs, indicative of its requirement in the shift between these states. However, only mouse ESCs correspond to the naive state; ESCs from other mammals and from chick show primed state characteristics. Thus, the significance of the naive state is unclear. In this study, we use zebra finch as a model for comparative ESC studies. The finch blastoderm has mESC-like properties, while chick blastoderm exhibits EpiSC features. In the absence of FGF signaling, finch cells retained expression of pluripotent markers, which were lost in cells from chick or aged finch epiblasts. Our data suggest that the naive state of pluripotency is evolutionarily conserved among amniotes.

Endogenous versus exogenous markers of adult neurogenesis in canaries and other birds: advantages and disadvantages

Although the existence of newborn neurons had originally been suggested, but not broadly accepted, based on studies in adult rodent brains, the presence of an active neurogenesis process in adult homoeothermic vertebrates was first firmly established in songbirds. Adult neurogenesis was initially studied with the tritiated thymidine technique, later replaced by the injection and detection of the marker of DNA replication 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). More recently, various endogenous markers were used to identify young neurons or cycling neuronal progenitors. We review here the respective advantages and pitfalls of these different approaches in birds, with specific reference to the microtubule-associated protein, doublecortin (DCX), that has been extensively used to identify young newly born neurons in adult brains. All these techniques of course have limitations. Exogenous markers label cells replicating their DNA only during a brief period and it is difficult to select injection doses that would exhaustively label all these cells without inducing DNA damage that will also result in some form of labeling during repair. On the other hand, specificity of endogenous markers is difficult to establish due to problems related to the specificity of antibodies (these problems can be, but are not always, addressed) and more importantly because it is difficult, if not impossible, to prove that a given marker exhaustively and specifically labels a given cell population. Despite these potential limitations, these endogenous markers and DCX staining in particular clearly represent a useful approach to the detailed study of neurogenesis especially when combined with other techniques such as BrdU.

Molecular profiling of the developing avian telencephalon: regional timing and brain subdivision continuities

In our companion study (Jarvis et al. [2013] J Comp Neurol. doi: 10.1002/cne.23404) we used quantitative brain molecular profiling to discover that distinct subdivisions in the avian pallium above and below the ventricle and the associated mesopallium lamina have similar molecular profiles, leading to a hypothesis that they may form as continuous subdivisions around the lateral ventricle. To explore this hypothesis, here we profiled the expression of 16 genes at eight developmental stages. The genes included those that define brain subdivisions in the adult and some that are also involved in brain development. We found that phyletic hierarchical cluster and linear regression network analyses of gene expression profiles implicated single and mixed ancestry of these brain regions at early embryonic stages. Most gene expression-defined pallial subdivisions began as one ventral or dorsal domain that later formed specific folds around the lateral ventricle. Subsequently a clear ventricle boundary formed, partitioning them into dorsal and ventral pallial subdivisions surrounding the mesopallium lamina. These subdivisions each included two parts of the mesopallium, the nidopallium and hyperpallium, and the arcopallium and hippocampus, respectively. Each subdivision expression profile had a different temporal order of appearance, similar in timing to the order of analogous cell types of the mammalian cortex. Furthermore, like the mammalian pallium, expression in the ventral pallial subdivisions became distinct during prehatch development, whereas the dorsal portions did so during posthatch development. These findings support the continuum hypothesis of avian brain subdivision development around the ventricle and influence hypotheses on homologies of the avian pallium with other vertebrates.

Should neuroecologists separate Tinbergen's four questions?

Neuroecologists have been criticized for deriving mechanistic explanations about brains and cognition from functional results. Historically, it appears however that the first functional predictions about adaptive hippocampal specialization for spatial memory of stored food were preceded, not followed, by the mechanistic paradigm of massive modularity that was dominant in the 1990s. More attention is paid nowadays to domain general aspects of cognition and to neural connectivity. Attention is also now given to evo devo principles of brain organization, which suggest conserved routes to evolutionary changes in the brain driven by conserved developmental schedules. Knowledge gained in answering each of Tinbergen's four questions is thus useful in making predictions concerning the other ones. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: In Honor of Jerry Hogan.

Differences in number and distribution of striatal calbindin medium spiny neurons between a vocal-learner (Melopsittacus undulatus) and a non-vocal learner bird (Colinus virginianus)

Striatal projecting neurons, known as medium spiny neurons (MSNs), segregate into two compartments called matrix and striosome in the mammalian striatum. The matrix domain is characterized by the presence of calbindin immunopositive (CB+) MSNs, not observed in the striosome subdivision. The existence of a similar CB+ MSN population has recently been described in two striatal structures in male zebra finch (a vocal learner bird): the striatal capsule and the Area X, a nucleus implicated in song learning. Female zebra finches show a similar pattern of CB+ MSNs than males in the developing striatum but loose these cells in juveniles and adult stages. In the present work we analyzed the existence and allocation of CB+ MSNs in the striatal domain of the vocal learner bird budgerigar (representative of psittaciformes order) and the non-vocal learner bird quail (representative of galliformes order). We studied the co-localization of CB protein with FoxP1, a transcription factor expressed in vertebrate striatal MSNs. We observed CB+ MSNs in the medial striatal domain of adult male and female budgerigars, although this cell type was missing in the potentially homologous nucleus for Area X in budgerigar. In quail, we observed CB+ cells in the striatal domain at developmental and adult stages but they did not co-localize with the MSN marker FoxP1. We also described the existence of the CB+ striatal capsule in budgerigar and quail and compared these results with the CB+ striatal capsule observed in juvenile zebra finches. Together, these results point out important differences in CB+ MSN distribution between two representative species of vocal learner and non-vocal learner avian orders (respectively the budgerigar and the quail), but also between close vocal learner bird families.

Variation in avian brain shape: relationship with size and orbital shape

There is wide variation in brain shape among birds. Differences in brain dimensions reflect species-specific sensory capacities and behavioral repertoires that are shaped by environmental and biological factors during evolution. Most previous studies aimed at defining factors impacting brain shape have used volumetric or linear measurements. However, few have explored the quantitative indices of three-dimensional (3D) brain geometry that are absolutely imperative to understanding avian evolutionary history. This study aimed: (i) to explore the relationship between brain shape and overall brain size; and (ii) to assess the relationship between brain shape and orbital shape. Avian brain endocasts were reconstructed from computed tomography images and analyzed using 3D geometric morphometrics. Principal component analysis revealed dominant regional variations in avian brain shape and shape correlations between the telencephalon and cerebellum, between the cerebellum and myelencephalon, and between the diencephalon and optic tectum. Brain shape changes relative to total brain size were determined by multivariate regression analysis. Larger brain size was associated with a relatively slender telencephalon and differences in brain orientation. The correlation between brain shape and orbital shape was assessed by two-block partial least-squares analysis. Relatively round brains with a ventrally flexed brain base were associated with rounder orbits, while narrower brains with a flat brain base were associated with more elongated orbits. The shapes of functionally associated avian brain regions are correlated, and orbital size and shape are dominant factors influencing the overall shape of the avian brain.

Peripubertal proliferation of progenitor cells in the preoptic area of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Brain structures related to reproduction are thought to depend on the action of gonadal steroids acting either during early life (organizing irreversible effects) or adulthood (activating transient effects). More recently puberty has become a focus of attention and it was demonstrated that action of sex steroid hormones at this time plays a critical role in the final organization of brain and behavior. We studied by BrdU immunohistochemistry the ontogeny from hatching to sexual maturity of a previously identified cell population in the preoptic area labeled by a BrdU injection at the end of embryonic period (E12) of sexual differentiation in male and female Japanese quail. After an initial increase between E12 and hatching, the density of BrdU-immunoreactive cells decreased until the beginning of puberty but then increased again during sexual maturation in the caudal preoptic area specifically. Divisions of these cells took place in the brain parenchyma as indicated by the large numbers of pairs of labeled cells. No sex difference affecting these processes could be detected at any stage of development. Large numbers of new cells thus arise around puberty in the caudal preoptic area and presumably contribute to the reorganization of this structure that precedes the emergence of adult reproductive behaviors.

Birth of neural progenitors during the embryonic period of sexual differentiation in the Japanese quail brain

Several brain areas in the diencephalon are involved in the activation and expression of sexual behavior, including in quail the medial preoptic nucleus (POM). However, the ontogeny of these diencephalic brain nuclei has not to this date been examined in detail. We investigated the ontogeny of POM and other steroid-sensitive brain regions by injecting quail eggs with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) at various stages between embryonic day (E)3 and E16 and killing animals at postnatal (PN) days 3 or 56. In the POM, large numbers of BrdU-positive cells were observed in subjects injected from E3-E10, the numbers of these cells was intermediate in birds injected on E12, and most cells were postmitotic in both sexes on E14-E16. Injections on E3-E4 labeled large numbers of Hu-positive cells in POM. In contrast, injections performed at a later stage labeled cells that do not express aromatase nor neuronal markers such as Hu or NeuN in the POM and other steroid-sensitive nuclei and thus do not have a neuronal phenotype in these locations, contrary to what is observed in the telencephalon and cerebellum. No evidence could also be collected to demonstrate that these cells have a glial nature. Converging data, including the facts that these cells divide in the brain mantle and express proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a cell cycling marker, indicate that cells labeled by BrdU during the second half of embryonic life are slow-cycling progenitors born and residing in the brain mantle. Future research should now identify their functional significance.

Expansion, folding, and abnormal lamination of the chick optic tectum after intraventricular injections of FGF2

Comparative research has shown that evolutionary increases in brain region volumes often involve delays in neurogenesis. However, little is known about the influence of such changes on subsequent development. To get at this question, we injected FGF2--which delays cell cycle exit in mammalian neocortex--into the cerebral ventricles of chicks at embryonic day (ED) 4. This manipulation alters the development of the optic tectum dramatically. By ED7, the tectum of FGF2-treated birds is abnormally thin and has a reduced postmitotic layer, consistent with a delay in neurogenesis. FGF2 treatment also increases tectal volume and ventricular surface area, disturbs tectal lamination, and creates small discontinuities in the pia mater overlying the tectum. On ED12, the tectum is still larger in FGF2-treated embryos than in controls. However, lateral portions of the FGF2-treated tectum now exhibit volcano-like laminar disturbances that coincide with holes in the pia, and the caudomedial tectum exhibits prominent folds. To explain these observations, we propose that the tangential expansion of the ventricular surface in FGF2-treated tecta outpaces the expansion of the pial surface, creating abnormal mechanical stresses. Two alternative means of alleviating these stresses are tectal foliation and the formation of pial holes. The latter probably alter signaling gradients required for normal cell migration and may generate abnormal patterns of cerebrospinal fluid flow; both abnormalities would generate disturbances in tectal lamination. Overall, our findings suggest that evolutionary expansion of sheet-like, laminated brain regions requires a concomitant expansion of the pia mater.

Postnatal changes in the distribution and density of neuronal nuclei and doublecortin antigens in domestic chicks (Gallus domesticus)

To understand better the rate of neurogenesis and the distribution of new neurons in posthatch domestic chicks, we describe and compare the expression of the neuronal nuclei protein (NeuN, a.k.a. Fox-3) and doublecortin antigens in the whole brain of chicks 2 days, 8 days, and 14 weeks posthatch. In the forebrain ventricular and paraventricular zones, the density of bromodeoxyuridine-, NeuN-, and doublecortin-labeled cells was compared between chicks 24 hours and 7 days after an injection of bromodeoxyuridine (2 and 8 days posthatch, respectively). The distribution of NeuN-labeled neurons was similar to Nissl-stained tissue, with the exception of some areas where neurons did not express NeuN: cerebellar Purkinje cells and olfactory bulb mitral cells. The ventral tegmental area of 2-day-old chicks was also faintly labeled. The distribution of doublecortin was similar at all timepoints, with doublecortin-labeled profiles located throughout all forebrain areas as well as in the cerebellar granule cell layer. However, doublecortin labeling was not detectable in any midbrain or brainstem areas. Our data indicate that a significant number of new neurons is still formed in the telencephalon of posthatch domestic chicks, whereas subtelencephalic areas (except for the cerebellum) finish their neuronal expansion before hatching. Most newly formed cells in chicks leave the paraventricular zone after hatching, but a pool of neurons stays in the vicinity of the ventricular zone and matures in situ within 7 days. Proliferating cells often migrate laterally along forebrain laminae into still-developing brain areas.

Primate encephalization

Encephalization is a concept that implies an increase in brain or neocortex size relative to body size, size of lower brain areas, and/or evolutionary time. Here, I review 26 large-scale comparative studies that provide robust evidence for five lifestyle correlates of encephalization (group living, a large home range, a high-quality diet, a strong reliance on vision, arboreal and forest dwelling), six cognitive correlates (better performance in captive tests, more tactical deception, innovation, tool use, social learning, all subsumed in part by general intelligence), one life history correlate (a longer lifespan), two evolutionary correlates (a high rate of change in microcephaly genes, an increase in brain size over macroevolutionary time), as well as three trade-offs (a slower juvenile development, a higher metabolic rate, sexually selected dimorphism). Of the 26 different encephalization measures used in these studies, corrected neocortex size, either with a ratio or a residual, is the most popular structural correlate of the functional variables, while residual brain size is the measure associated with the greatest number of them. Controversies remain on corrected or absolute measures of neural structure size, concerted versus mosaic evolution of brain parts and specialized versus domain-general brain structures and cognitive processes.

Evo-devo and brain scaling: candidate developmental mechanisms for variation and constancy in vertebrate brain evolution

Biologists have long been interested in both the regularities and the deviations in the relationship between brain, development, ecology, and behavior between taxa. We first examine some basic information about the observed ranges of fundamental changes in developmental parameters (i.e. neurogenesis timing, cell cycle rates, and gene expression patterns) between taxa. Next, we review what is known about the relative importance of different kinds of developmental mechanisms in producing brain change, focusing on mechanisms of segmentation, local and general features of neurogenesis, and cell cycle kinetics. We suggest that a limited set of developmental alterations of the vertebrate nervous system typically occur and that each kind of developmental change may entail unique anatomical, functional, and behavioral consequences for the organism. Thus, neuroecologists who posit a direct mapping of brain size to behavior should consider that not any change in brain anatomy is possible.

Developmental Modes and Developmental Mechanisms can Channel Brain Evolution

Anseriform birds (ducks and geese) as well as parrots and songbirds have evolved a disproportionately enlarged telencephalon compared with many other birds. However, parrots and songbirds differ from anseriform birds in their mode of development. Whereas ducks and geese are precocial (e.g., hatchlings feed on their own), parrots and songbirds are altricial (e.g., hatchlings are fed by their parents). We here consider how developmental modes may limit and facilitate specific changes in the mechanisms of brain development. We suggest that altriciality facilitates the evolution of telencephalic expansion by delaying telencephalic neurogenesis. We further hypothesize that delays in telencephalic neurogenesis generate delays in telencephalic maturation, which in turn foster neural adaptations that facilitate learning. Specifically, we propose that delaying telencephalic neurogenesis was a prerequisite for the evolution of neural circuits that allow parrots and songbirds to produce learned vocalizations. Overall, we argue that developmental modes have influenced how some lineages of birds increased the size of their telencephalon and that this, in turn, has influenced subsequent changes in brain circuits and behavior.

Asymmetry of different brain structures in homing pigeons with and without navigational experience

Homing pigeons (Columba livia f.d.) are well-known for their homing abilities, and their brains seem to be functionally adapted to homing as exemplified, e.g. by their larger hippocampi and olfactory bulbs. Their hippocampus size is influenced by navigational experience, and, as in other birds, functional specialisation of the left and right hemispheres (‘lateralisation’) occurs in homing pigeons. To show in what way lateralisation is reflected in brain structure volume, and whether some lateralisation or asymmetry in homing pigeons is caused by experience, we compared brains of homing pigeons with and without navigational experience referring to this. Fourteen homing pigeons were raised under identical constraints. After fledging, seven of them were allowed to fly around the loft and participated successfully in races. The other seven stayed permanently in the loft and thus did not share the navigational experiences of the first group. After reaching sexual maturity, all individuals were killed and morphometric analyses were carried out to measure the volumes of five basic brain parts and eight telencephalic brain parts. Measurements of telencephalic brain parts and optic tectum were done separately for the left and right hemispheres. The comparison of left/right quotients of both groups reveal that pigeons with navigational experience show a smaller left mesopallium in comparison with the right mesopallium and pigeons without navigational experience a larger left mesopallium in comparison with the right one. Additionally, there are significant differences between left and right brain subdivisions within the two pigeon groups, namely a larger left hyperpallium apicale in both pigeon groups and a larger right nidopallium, left hippocampus and right optic tectum in pigeons with navigational experience. Pigeons without navigational experience did not show more significant differences between their left and right brain subdivisions. The results of our study confirm that the brain of homing pigeons is an example for mosaic evolution and indicates that lateralisation is correlated with individual life history (experience) and not exclusively based on heritable traits.

Bigger brains cycle faster before neurogenesis begins: a comparison of brain development between chickens and bobwhite quail

The chicken brain is more than twice as big as the bobwhite quail brain in adulthood. To determine how this species difference in brain size emerges during development, we examined whether differences in neurogenesis timing or cell cycle rates account for the disparity in brain size between chickens and quail. Specifically, we examined the timing of neural events (e.g. neurogenesis onset) from Nissl-stained sections of chicken and quail embryos. We estimated brain cell cycle rates using cumulative bromodeoxyuridine labelling in chickens and quail at embryonic day (ED) 2 and at ED5. We report that the timing of neural events is highly conserved between chickens and quail, once time is expressed as a percentage of overall incubation period. In absolute time, neurogenesis begins earlier in chickens than in quail. Therefore, neural event timing cannot account for the expansion of the chicken brain relative to the quail brain. Cell cycle rates are also similar between the two species at ED5. However, at ED2, before neurogenesis onset, brain cells cycle faster in chickens than in quail. These data indicate that chickens have a larger brain than bobwhite quail mainly because of species differences in cell cycle rates during early stages of embryonic development.

Phylogenetic origins of early alterations in brain region proportions

Adult galliform birds (e.g. chickens) exhibit a relatively small telencephalon and a proportionately large optic tectum compared with parrots and songbirds. We previously examined the embryonic origins of these adult species differences and found that the optic tectum is larger in quail than in parakeets and songbirds at early stages of development, prior to tectal neurogenesis onset. The aim of this study was to determine whether a proportionately large presumptive tectum is a primitive condition within birds or a derived feature of quail and other galliform birds. To this end, we examined embryonic brains of several avian species (emus, parrots, songbirds, waterfowl, galliform birds), reptiles (3 lizard species, alligators, turtles) and a monotreme (platypuses). Brain region volumes were estimated from serial Nissl-stained sections. We found that the embryos of galliform birds and lizards exhibit a proportionally larger presumptive tectum than all the other examined species. The presumptive tectum of the platypus is unusually small. The most parsimonious interpretation of these data is that the expanded embryonic tectum of lizards and galliform birds is a derived feature in both of these taxonomic groups.

Developmental basis for telencephalon expansion in waterfowl: enlargement prior to neurogenesis

Some altricial and some precocial species of birds have evolved enlarged telencephalons compared with other birds. Previous work has shown that finches and parakeets, two species that hatch in an immature (i.e. altricial) state, enlarged their telencephalon by delaying telencephalic neurogenesis. To determine whether species that hatch in a relatively mature (i.e. precocial) state also enlarged their telencephalon by delaying telencephalic neurogenesis, we examined brain development in geese, ducks, turkeys and chickens, which are all precocial. Whereas the telencephalon occupies less than 55 per cent of the brain in chickens and turkeys, it occupies more than 65 per cent in ducks and geese. To determine how these species differences in adult brain region proportions arise during development, we examined brain maturation (i.e. neurogenesis timing) and estimated telencephalon, tectum and medulla volumes from serial Nissl-stained sections in the four species. We found that incubation time predicts the timing of neurogenesis in all major brain regions and that the telencephalon is proportionally larger in ducks and geese before telencephalic neurogenesis begins. These findings demonstrate that the expansion of the telencephalon in ducks and geese is achieved by altering development prior to neurogenesis onset. Thus, precocial and altricial species evolved different developmental strategies to expand their telencephalon.