Mapping functional connectivity in the pigeon brain with wide-field optical imaging

Adapting optical imaging technology to avian models can overcome many limitations imposed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which currently restricts the number of species used to study functional connectivity. Developing advanced technology to expand the diversity of species that can be effectively imaged is crucial for addressing significant questions that are currently unreachable, such as understanding the evolution of cognition from a comparative perspective.

We assessed the potential of optical imaging technology to measure functional connectivity in birds, utilizing pigeons as an avian model. We evaluated whether we could partition the dorsal surface of the pigeon brain into units that correspond to known anatomical regions. Finally, we compared our results with those obtained from a separate dataset acquired using fMRI.

Using optical intrinsic signal imaging, a widefield optical imaging method, we imaged resting state functional connectivity in scalp-retracted anesthetized pigeons. We then used iterative parcellation and hierarchical clustering to create functional connectivity maps of correlation between parcels at two spatial scales. We recorded a second independent dataset of ten pigeons using a single-shot multi-slice gradient echo EPI sequence fMRI and applied the same parcellation method to compare functional connectivity patterns between the two methodologies.

We successfully partitioned signal activity into clusters of parcels that exhibit left-right symmetry between hemispheres and which align well with known anatomical regions of the dorsal surface of the pigeon brain. Moreover, functional connectivity matrices reveal positive correlations between homotopic regions. These cluster partitions and functional connectivity maps display similar patterns across and within individuals. Finally, WOI imaging results were comparable to resting state data acquired using fMRI.

Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential of optical imaging technology for the reliable and cost-effective characterization of functional connectivity in birds. In addition, they position optical imaging methods as a valuable tool for large-scale comparative and network-level studies in this taxon.