Associative learning rapidly establishes neuronal representations of upcoming behavioral choices in crows.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 112(49): 15208-13, 2015 Dec 08.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26598669
ABSTRACT
The ability to form associations between behaviorally relevant sensory stimuli is fundamental for goal-directed behaviors. We investigated neuronal activity in the telencephalic area nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) while two crows (Corvus corone) performed a delayed association task. Whereas some paired associates were familiar to the crows, novel associations had to be learned and mapped to the same target stimuli within a single session. We found neurons that prospectively encoded the chosen test item during the delay for both familiar and newly learned associations. These neurons increased their selectivity during learning in parallel with the crows' increased behavioral performance. Thus, sustained activity in the NCL actively processes information for the upcoming behavioral choice. These data provide new insights into memory representations of behaviorally meaningful stimuli in birds, and how such representations are formed during learning. The findings suggest that the NCL plays a role in learning arbitrary associations, a cornerstone of corvids' remarkable behavioral flexibility and adaptability.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Conducta Animal
/
Cuervos
/
Aprendizaje
/
Neuronas
Tipo de estudio:
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Año:
2015
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Alemania