The prefrontal 'cortex' in the pigeon. Behavioral evidence

Area of Science:

• Comparative neuroanatomy
• Avian neurobiology
• Cognitive neuroscience

Background:

• The posterodorsolateral neostriatum in pigeons is investigated for its role in cognitive functions.
• Mammalian prefrontal cortex lesions cause deficits in delayed alternation tasks.
• The neostriatal region shows dopaminergic innervation, similar to the mammalian prefrontal cortex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the function of the posterodorsolateral neostriatum in pigeons.
• To determine if this region is homologous to the mammalian prefrontal cortex.
• To understand the evolution of cognitive control mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Surgical ablation of the posterodorsolateral neostriatum in pigeons.
• Behavioral testing including delayed alternation and visual discrimination tasks.

Main Results:

• Pigeons with posterodorsolateral neostriatum lesions showed impaired delayed alternation performance.
• Visual discrimination abilities remained unaffected by the lesions.
• The ablated region is distinct from other dopaminergic areas like the paleostriatum augmentatum and archistriatum.

Conclusions:

• The posterodorsolateral neostriatum in pigeons functions analogously to the mammalian prefrontal cortex.
• This finding supports the hypothesis of a conserved prefrontal cortex-like structure across higher vertebrates.
• Avian brains may possess sophisticated neural mechanisms for cognitive control similar to mammals.