Cellular Scaling Rules for Brains of the Galliform Birds (Aves, Galliformes) Compared to Those of Songbirds and Parrots: Distantly Related Avian Lineages Have Starkly Different Neuronal Cerebrotypes

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11310%2F25%3A10498280" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/25:10498280 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60460709:41320/25:102968 RIV/00216208:11120/25:43928470

Result on the web

<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=PfEqmfw0XO" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=PfEqmfw0XO</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000545417" target="_blank" >10.1159/000545417</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Cellular Scaling Rules for Brains of the Galliform Birds (Aves, Galliformes) Compared to Those of Songbirds and Parrots: Distantly Related Avian Lineages Have Starkly Different Neuronal Cerebrotypes

Original language description

Introduction: Songbirds, especially corvids, and parrots are remarkably intelligent. Their cognitive skills are on par with primates and their brains contain primate-like numbers of neurons concentrated in high densities in the telencephalon. Much less is known about cognition and neuron counts in more basal bird lineages. Here, we focus on brain cellular composition of galliform birds, which have small brains relative to body size and a proportionally small telencephalon and are often perceived as cognitively inferior to most other birds. Methods: We use the isotropic fractionator to assess quantitatively the numbers and distributions of neurons and nonneuronal cells in 15 species of galliform birds and compare their cellular scaling rules with those of songbirds, parrots, marsupials, insectivores, rodents, and primates. Results: On average, the brains of galliforms contain about half the number of neurons found in parrot and songbird brains of the same mass. Moreover, in contrast to these birds, galliforms resemble mammals in having small telencephalic and dominant cerebellar neuronal fractions. Consequently, galliforms have much smaller absolute numbers of neurons in their forebrains than equivalently sized songbirds and parrots, which may limit their cognitive abilities. However, galliforms have similar neuronal densities and neuron counts in the brain and forebrain as equally sized non-primate mammals. Therefore, it is not surprising that cognitive abilities of galliforms are on par with non-primate mammals in many domains. Conclusion: Comparisons performed in this study demonstrate that birds representing distantly related clades markedly differ in neuronal densities, neuron numbers, and the allocation of brain neurons to major brain divisions. In analogy with the concept of volumetric composition of the brain, known as the cerebrotype, we conclude that distantly related birds have distinct neuronal cerebrotypes.

Czech name

—

Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

30103 - Neurosciences (including psychophysiology)

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA22-35153S" target="_blank" >GA22-35153S: Number of Neurons in Avian Brains: Implications for Evolution of Bird Intelligence</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Brain, Behavior and Evolution

ISSN

0006-8977

e-ISSN

1421-9743

Volume of the periodical

100

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3

Country of publishing house

CH - SWITZERLAND

Number of pages

17

Pages from-to

183-199

UT code for WoS article

001492599000001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105005439723