Inquiries Into a Different Kind of Mind

Mammals and birds evolved vastly different forebrains.

While mammals have a cortex and can reach large brain weights, bird brains are very small and are constituted by seemingly homogeneous nuclear clusters. These glaring anatomical differences cast a dim prospect on avian cognition.

However, the last years showed that several avian taxa are cognitively on par with apes and show abilities like planning, theory-of-mind, and mirror-self-recognition. How is that possible?

Our inability to answer this question yet, shows that we still are far away from properly understanding the link between brain structure and cognitive functions in generic ways. To gain deeper insights into these issues, we should dare to study in depth non-standard model animals.

I therefore propose to conduct a detailed neurocognitive analysis of executive cognition, memory, and consciousness in pigeons.

I hypothesise that despite major macroscopic differences, the pallial cognitive network of birds is highly similar to that of mammals while their memory systems differ.

To test this hypothesis, I will combine behavioural analyses, fMRI, single unit recording, and optogenetics to characterize the neural mechanisms of cognition, consciousness, and memory in pigeons.

I aim to: 1) reveal the pallial network for the three executive functions: inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory and will subsequently search for an avian equivalent of the default mode and executive network.2) identify an avian pallial associative area for movement intentions.3) examine if avian associative neurons code high dimensional event representations. 4) test if birds have evolved a non-spatial memory system that is independent of hippocampus.5) and investigate if pigeons show signatures of consciousness akin to primates.These studies will serve a deeper understanding of the link between neural structure and cognition a link that might be less bound to neuroanatomical specificities than hitherto assumed.