Categorical representation of abstract spatial magnitudes in the executive telencephalon of crows

Wagener, Lysann; Nieder, Andreas

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.013

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…Such semantic associations require not only memory function but also information about numerical quantity. The NCL shows these requirements as it is not only engaged in memory functions ( 50 – 52 ) but also constitutes a key area for numerical processing in the avian endbrain ( 32 – 38 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association neurons in the crow telencephalon link visual signs to numerical values

Kirschhock,

Nieder

2023

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Many animals can associate signs with numerical values and use these signs in a goal-directed way during task performance. However, the neuronal basis of this semantic association has only rarely been investigated, and so far only in primates. How mechanisms of number associations are implemented in the distinctly evolved brains of other animal taxa such as birds is currently unknown. Here, we explored this semantic number-sign mapping by recording single-neuron activity in the crows’ nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL), a brain structure critically involved in avian numerical cognition. Crows were trained to associate visual shapes with varying numbers of items in a number production task. The responses of many NCL neurons during stimulus presentation reflected the numerical values associated with visual shapes in a behaviorally relevant way. Consistent with the crow’s better behavioral performance with signs, neuronal representations of numerical values extracted from shapes were more selective compared to those from dot arrays. The existence of number association neurons in crows points to a phylogenetic preadaptation of the brains of cognitively advanced vertebrates to link visual shapes with numerical meaning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association neurons in the crow telencephalon link visual signs to numerical values

Kirschhock,

Nieder

2023

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…One crucial component of the DVR is the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL), which sits at the pallial interface of ascending, multisensory inputs and descending premotor outputs ( Kröner and Güntürkün, 1999 ; Farries, 2001 ; Fernández et al, 2020b ; Zemel et al, 2023 ). Consistent with its multimodal connectivity, the NCL plays a central role in various higher cognitive functions such as working memory ( Veit et al, 2014 ; Moll and Nieder, 2017 ), motor planning ( Rose and Colombo, 2005 ; Rinnert and Nieder, 2021 ; Kirschhock and Nieder, 2022 ; Hahn and Rose, 2023 ), prospective problem-solving ( Veit and Nieder, 2013 ; Moll and Nieder, 2015 ; Veit et al, 2015b ), magnitude estimation ( Moll and Nieder, 2014 ; Ditz and Nieder, 2015 ; Kirschhock and Nieder, 2023 ; Wagener and Nieder, 2023 ), spatial cognition ( Veit et al, 2015a ; Rinnert et al, 2019 ), or sensory consciousness ( Nieder et al, 2020 ). Moreover, several studies in pigeons have shown that inactivation of the NCL can affect a subset of the aforementioned capacities, highlighting its critical role in behavioral flexibility ( Mogensen and Divac, 1982 , 1993 ; Gagliardo et al, 1996 , 1997 ; Güntürkün, 1997 ; Hartmann and Güntürkün, 1998 ; Helduser and Güntürkün, 2012 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given its position relative to the readily identifiable dorsal arcopallial tract (DA), the projections of the crow's dorsal NCL (NCLd) to the arcopallium appear to correspond to the arcopallial projections of the NCL in pigeons ( von Eugen et al, 2020 ; Kersten et al, 2022 ). Therefore, comparative functional studies were focused on investigating the crow's NCLd over the past decade ( Veit and Nieder, 2013 ; Kersten et al, 2022 ; Wagener and Nieder, 2023 ). However, the brain-wide connectivity of the NCLd in the crow, or any other songbird, has not yet been explored systematically ( Wild and Farabaugh, 1996 ; Paterson and Bottjer, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Input and Output Connections of the Crow Nidopallium Caudolaterale

Kersten,

Moll,

Erdle

et al. 2024

eNeuro

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The avian telencephalic structure nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) functions as an analog to the mammalian prefrontal cortex. In crows, corvid songbirds, it plays a crucial role in higher cognitive and executive functions. These functions rely on the NCL's extensive telencephalic connections. However, systematic investigations into the brain-wide connectivity of the NCL in crows or other songbirds are lacking. Here, we studied its input and output connections by injecting retrograde and anterograde tracers into the carrion crow NCL. Our results, mapped onto a published carrion crow brain atlas, confirm NCL multisensory connections and extend prior pigeon findings by identifying a novel input from the hippocampal formation. Furthermore, we analyze crow NCL efferent projections to the arcopallium and report newly identified arcopallial neurons projecting bilaterally to the NCL. These findings help to clarify the role of the NCL as central executive hub in the corvid songbird brain.

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