Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2025

Selective Tracing of Auditory Fibers in the Avian Embryonic Vestibulocochlear Nerve
Published on: March 18, 2013
Evolutionary convergence of sensory circuits in the pallium of amniotes
Eneritz Rueda-Alaña1,2, Rodrigo Senovilla-Ganzo1,2, Marco Grillo3
1Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Scientific Park of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Spain.
Abstract:
The amniote pallium contains sensory circuits that are structurally and functionally equivalent, yet their evolutionary relationship remains unresolved. We used birthdating analysis, single-cell RNA and spatial transcriptomics, and mathematical modeling to compare the development and evolution of known pallial circuits across birds (chick), lizards (gecko), and mammals (mouse). We reveal that neurons within these circuits' stations are generated at varying developmental times and brain regions across species and found an early developmental divergence in the transcriptomic progression of glutamatergic neurons. Our research highlights developmental distinctions and functional similarities in the sensory circuit between birds and mammals, suggesting the convergence of high-order sensory processing across amniote lineages.
Related Concept Videos
Somatosensation
Convergent Evolution
Neurulation
Auditory Pathway
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
The Cochlea
Vision

