The genetic basis of spatial cognitive variation in a food-caching bird.
Curr Biol
; 32(1): 210-219.e4, 2022 01 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34735793
Spatial cognition is used by most organisms to navigate their environment. Some species rely particularly heavily on specialized spatial cognition to survive, suggesting that a heritable component of cognition may be under natural selection. This idea remains largely untested outside of humans, perhaps because cognition in general is known to be strongly affected by learning and experience.1-4 We investigated the genetic basis of individual variation in spatial cognition used by non-migratory food-caching birds to recover food stores and survive harsh montane winters. Comparing the genomes of wild, free-living birds ranging from best to worst in their performance on a spatial cognitive task revealed significant associations with genes involved in neuron growth and development and hippocampal function. These results identify candidate genes associated with differences in spatial cognition and provide a critical link connecting individual variation in spatial cognition with natural selection. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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Texto completo:
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Cognição
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Aves Canoras
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Comportamento Alimentar
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article