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Coppola VJ, Scribner HR, Barnett C, Flanigan KAS, Riesgo VR, Bingman VP. Age-related reductions in whole brain mass and telencephalon volume in very old white Carneau pigeons (Columba livia). Neurosci Lett 2024; 828:137754. [PMID: 38556244 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2024.137754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
While studies have identified age-related cognitive impairment in pigeons (Columba livia), no study has detected the brain atrophy which typically accompanies cognitive impairment in older mammals. Instead, Coppola and Bingman (Aging is associated with larger brain mass and volume in homing pigeons (Columba livia), Neurosci. Letters 698 (2019) 39-43) reported increased whole brain mass and telencephalon volume in older, compared to younger, homing pigeons. One reason for this unexpected finding might be that the older pigeons studied were not old enough to display age-related brain atrophy. Therefore, the current study repeated Coppola and Bingman, but with a sample of older white Carneau pigeons that were on average 5.34 years older. Brains from young and old homing pigeons were weighed and orthogonal measurements of the telencephalon, cerebellum, and optic tectum were obtained. Despite having a heavier body mass than younger pigeons, older pigeons had a significant reduction in whole brain mass and telencephalon volume, but not cerebellum or optic tectum volume. This study is therefore the first to find that pigeons experience age-related brain atrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent J Coppola
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Findlay, Findlay, OH, USA.
| | - Holden R Scribner
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Findlay, Findlay, OH, USA
| | - Caillie Barnett
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Findlay, Findlay, OH, USA
| | - Kaylyn A S Flanigan
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA; J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind, & Behavior, Bowling Green, OH, USA.
| | - Victoria R Riesgo
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA; J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind, & Behavior, Bowling Green, OH, USA.
| | - Verner P Bingman
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA; J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind, & Behavior, Bowling Green, OH, USA.
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Lu C, Gudowska A, Rutkowska J. What do zebra finches learn besides singing? Systematic mapping of the literature and presentation of an efficient associative learning test. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1489-1503. [PMID: 37300600 PMCID: PMC10442275 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01795-w] [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: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The process of learning in birds has been extensively studied, with a focus on species such as pigeons, parrots, chickens, and crows. In recent years, the zebra finch has emerged as a model species in avian cognition, particularly in song learning. However, other cognitive domains such as spatial memory and associative learning could also be critical to fitness and survival, particularly during the intensive juvenile period. In this systematic review, we provide an overview of cognitive studies on zebra finches, with a focus on domains other than song learning. Our findings indicate that spatial, associative, and social learning are the most frequently studied domains, while motoric learning and inhibitory control have been examined less frequently over 30 years of research. All of the 60 studies included in this review were conducted on captive birds, limiting the generalizability of the findings to wild populations. Moreover, only two of the studies were conducted on juveniles, highlighting the need for more research on this critical period of learning. To address this research gap, we propose a high-throughput method for testing associative learning performance in a large number of both juvenile and adult zebra finches. Our results demonstrate that learning can occur in both age groups, thus encouraging researchers to also perform cognitive tests on juveniles. We also note the heterogeneity of methodologies, protocols, and subject exclusion criteria applied by different researchers, which makes it difficult to compare results across studies. Therefore, we call for better communication among researchers to develop standardised methodologies for studying each cognitive domain at different life stages and also in their natural conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- ChuChu Lu
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Gudowska
- Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Joanna Rutkowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
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Flaim M, Blaisdell AP. The effect of age on delay performance and associative learning tasks in pigeons. Learn Behav 2023; 51:281-294. [PMID: 36624334 PMCID: PMC10506936 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00565-x] [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] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Pigeons are commonly utilized in psychological research, and their cognitive abilities have been thoroughly investigated. Yet very little is known about how these abilities change with age. In contrast, age-related changes in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents are well documented. Mammalian research consistently shows that older subjects show deficits in a variety of learning and memory processes, particularly those that rely on the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. This research expands the avian aging literature by administering a memory task, the delayed match to sample procedure, and an associative learning task, a conditional or symbolic match to sample procedure, to nine young and 11 old pigeons. Previous research has indicated that these tasks rely on the avian equivalent to the mammalian prefrontal cortex, and we predicted that performance on both tasks would decline with age. In contrast to our predictions, only the associative learning task was sensitive to age-related decline. Performance on the memory task was maintained in older subjects. These results highlight further potential differences in avian versus mammalian aging, particularly when it comes to the prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Flaim
- Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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Fuss T. Mate Choice, Sex Roles and Sexual Cognition: Neuronal Prerequisites Supporting Cognitive Mate Choice. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.749499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Across taxa, mate choice is a highly selective process involving both intra- and intersexual selection processes aiming to pass on one’s genes, making mate choice a pivotal tool of sexual selection. Individuals adapt mate choice behavior dynamically in response to environmental and social changes. These changes are perceived sensorily and integrated on a neuronal level, which ultimately leads to an adequate behavioral response. Along with perception and prior to an appropriate behavioral response, the choosing sex has (1) to recognize and discriminate between the prospective mates and (2) to be able to assess and compare their performance in order to make an informed decision. To do so, cognitive processes allow for the simultaneous processing of multiple information from the (in-) animate environment as well as from a variety of both sexual and social (but non-sexual) conspecific cues. Although many behavioral aspects of cognition on one side and of mate choice displays on the other are well understood, the interplay of neuronal mechanisms governing both determinants, i.e., governing cognitive mate choice have been described only vaguely. This review aimed to throw a spotlight on neuronal prerequisites, networks and processes supporting the interaction between mate choice, sex roles and sexual cognition, hence, supporting cognitive mate choice. How does neuronal activity differ between males and females regarding social cognition? Does sex or the respective sex role within the prevailing mating system mirror at a neuronal level? How does cognitive competence affect mate choice? Conversely, how does mate choice affect the cognitive abilities of both sexes? Benefitting from studies using different neuroanatomical techniques such as neuronal activity markers, differential coexpression or candidate gene analyses, modulatory effects of neurotransmitters and hormones, or imaging techniques such as fMRI, there is ample evidence pointing to a reflection of sex and the respective sex role at the neuronal level, at least in individual brain regions. Moreover, this review aims to summarize evidence for cognitive abilities influencing mate choice and vice versa. At the same time, new questions arise centering the complex relationship between neurobiology, cognition and mate choice, which we will perhaps be able to answer with new experimental techniques.
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Sanchez D, Ganfornina MD. The Lipocalin Apolipoprotein D Functional Portrait: A Systematic Review. Front Physiol 2021; 12:738991. [PMID: 34690812 PMCID: PMC8530192 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.738991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Apolipoprotein D is a chordate gene early originated in the Lipocalin protein family. Among other features, regulation of its expression in a wide variety of disease conditions in humans, as apparently unrelated as neurodegeneration or breast cancer, have called for attention on this gene. Also, its presence in different tissues, from blood to brain, and different subcellular locations, from HDL lipoparticles to the interior of lysosomes or the surface of extracellular vesicles, poses an interesting challenge in deciphering its physiological function: Is ApoD a moonlighting protein, serving different roles in different cellular compartments, tissues, or organisms? Or does it have a unique biochemical mechanism of action that accounts for such apparently diverse roles in different physiological situations? To answer these questions, we have performed a systematic review of all primary publications where ApoD properties have been investigated in chordates. We conclude that ApoD ligand binding in the Lipocalin pocket, combined with an antioxidant activity performed at the rim of the pocket are properties sufficient to explain ApoD association with different lipid-based structures, where its physiological function is better described as lipid-management than by long-range lipid-transport. Controlling the redox state of these lipid structures in particular subcellular locations or extracellular structures, ApoD is able to modulate an enormous array of apparently diverse processes in the organism, both in health and disease. The new picture emerging from these data should help to put the physiological role of ApoD in new contexts and to inspire well-focused future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Sanchez
- Instituto de Biologia y Genetica Molecular, Unidad de Excelencia, Universidad de Valladolid-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Maria D Ganfornina
- Instituto de Biologia y Genetica Molecular, Unidad de Excelencia, Universidad de Valladolid-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Valladolid, Spain
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Orije J, Cardon E, Hamaide J, Jonckers E, Darras VM, Verhoye M, Van der Linden A. Uncovering a 'sensitive window' of multisensory and motor neuroplasticity in the cerebrum and cerebellum of male and female starlings. eLife 2021; 10:e66777. [PMID: 34096502 PMCID: PMC8219385 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditionally, research unraveling seasonal neuroplasticity in songbirds has focused on the male song control system and testosterone. We longitudinally monitored the song behavior and neuroplasticity in male and female starlings during multiple photoperiods using Diffusion Tensor and Fixel-Based techniques. These exploratory data-driven whole-brain methods resulted in a population-based tractogram confirming microstructural sexual dimorphisms in the song control system. Furthermore, male brains showed hemispheric asymmetries in the pallium, whereas females had higher interhemispheric connectivity, which could not be attributed to brain size differences. Only females with large brains sing but differ from males in their song behavior by showing involvement of the hippocampus. Both sexes experienced multisensory neuroplasticity in the song control, auditory and visual system, and cerebellum, mainly during the photosensitive period. This period with low gonadal hormone levels might represent a 'sensitive window' during which different sensory and motor systems in the cerebrum and cerebellum can be seasonally re-shaped in both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmien Orije
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Emilie Cardon
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | - Julie Hamaide
- Bio-Imaging Lab, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
| | | | - Veerle M Darras
- Laboratory of Comparative Endocrinology, Biology DepartmentLeuvenBelgium
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Harper JM, Holmes DJ. New Perspectives on Avian Models for Studies of Basic Aging Processes. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9060649. [PMID: 34200297 PMCID: PMC8230007 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9060649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian models have the potential to elucidate basic cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the slow aging rates and exceptional longevity typical of this group of vertebrates. To date, most studies of avian aging have focused on relatively few of the phenomena now thought to be intrinsic to the aging process, but primarily on responses to oxidative stress and telomere dynamics. But a variety of whole-animal and cell-based approaches to avian aging and stress resistance have been developed-especially the use of primary cell lines and isolated erythrocytes-which permit other processes to be investigated. In this review, we highlight newer studies using these approaches. We also discuss recent research on age-related changes in neural function in birds in the context of sensory changes relevant to homing and navigation, as well as the maintenance of song. More recently, with the advent of "-omic" methodologies, including whole-genome studies, new approaches have gained momentum for investigating the mechanistic basis of aging in birds. Overall, current research suggests that birds exhibit an enhanced resistance to the detrimental effects of oxidative damage and maintain higher than expected levels of cellular function as they age. There is also evidence that genetic signatures associated with cellular defenses, as well as metabolic and immune function, are enhanced in birds but data are still lacking relative to that available from more conventional model organisms. We are optimistic that continued development of avian models in geroscience, especially under controlled laboratory conditions, will provide novel insights into the exceptional longevity of this animal taxon.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M. Harper
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-936-294-1543
| | - Donna J. Holmes
- Department of Biological Sciences and WWAMI Medical Education Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA;
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Coppola VJ, Nardi D, Bingman VP. Age-associated decline in septum neuronal activation during spatial learning in homing pigeons (Columba livia). Behav Brain Res 2020; 397:112948. [PMID: 33017641 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between hippocampal aging and spatial-cognitive decline in birds has recently been investigated. However, like its mammalian counterpart, the avian hippocampus does not work in isolation and its relationship to the septum is of particular interest. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of age on septum (medial and lateral) and associated nucleus of the diagonal band (NDB) neuronal activation (as indicated by c-Fos expression) during learning of a spatial, delayed non-match-to-sample task conducted in a modified radial arm maze. The results indicated significantly reduced septum, but not NDB, activation during spatial learning in older pigeons. We also preliminarily investigated the effect of age on the number of cholinergic septum and NDB neurons (as indicated by expression of choline acetyltransferase; ChAT). Although underpowered to reveal a statistical effect, the data suggest that older pigeons have substantially fewer ChAT-expressing cells in the septum compared to younger pigeons. The data support the hypothesis that reduced activation of the septum contributes to the age-related, spatial cognitive impairment in pigeons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent J Coppola
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Findlay, Findlay, OH, United States; J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind, & Behavior, Bowling Green, OH, United States.
| | - Daniele Nardi
- Department of Psychological Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, United States
| | - Verner P Bingman
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Findlay, Findlay, OH, United States; J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind, & Behavior, Bowling Green, OH, United States; Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, United States
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Coppola VJ, Bingman VP. c-Fos revealed lower hippocampal participation in older homing pigeons when challenged with a spatial memory task. Neurobiol Aging 2019; 87:98-107. [PMID: 31889558 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Homing pigeons experience age-related spatial-cognitive decline similar to that seen in mammals. In contrast to mammals, however, previous studies have shown the hippocampal formation (HF) of old, cognitively impaired pigeons to be greater in volume and neuron number compared with young pigeons. As a partial explanation of the cognitive decline in older birds, it was hypothesized that older pigeons have reduced HF activation during spatial learning. The present study compared HF activation (via the activity-dependent expression of the immediate early gene c-Fos) between younger and older pigeons during learning of a spatial, delayed nonmatch-to-sample task. On the last day of training, c-Fos activation significantly correlated with behavioral performance in the young, but not old, pigeons suggesting more HF engagement by the young pigeons in solving the task. The behavioral correlation was additionally associated with consistently higher, but insignificant c-Fos activation across practically every HF subdivision in the young compared with the old pigeons. In sum, the results of the present study are consistent with the hypothesis that age-related decline in the spatial cognitive ability of homing pigeons is in part a result of an older HF being less responsive to the processing of spatial information. However, alternative interpretations of the data are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent J Coppola
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA; J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind, & Behavior, Bowling Green, OH, USA.
| | - Verner P Bingman
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA; J.P. Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind, & Behavior, Bowling Green, OH, USA
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Coppola VJ, Bingman VP. Aging is associated with larger brain mass and volume in homing pigeons (Columba livia). Neurosci Lett 2019; 698:39-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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