Where does corvids and parrots have cognitive abilities? Recent research scientists
The density of neurons in the parts of the brain of corvids and parrots responsible for cognitive abilities, as demonstrated by recent studies, exceeds the density of neurons in the brain of primates. We will tell you more about this unexpected discovery in today's publication.
The intelligence of ravens and parrots is an axiom, confirmed both by the observations of the scientific community and the personal experience of the owners of birds. Both parrots and crows are known to have the ability to memorize and pronounce human speech and to use the tools of labor quite rationally. Gray crows sometimes demonstrate incredible intellectual abilities in a variety of situations. They are seen in the winter, moving as if on sledges in aluminum lids from the pans found from snow-covered roofs found somewhere, with obvious enthusiasm they tease dogs and cats, grabbing them by the tails. They soak bread crusts in a puddle, store food, and even learn how to deliberately throw under the wheels of cars something they are not able to eat. In the most incredible way, they recognize people “by sight” regardless of what clothes they are in and easily distinguish a gun from a stick, “cooperate” with each other in joint adventures, for example, they “work” in a pair, stealing eggs from nests: one crow drives the bird from its nest, and the other picks up the eggs. Extensive scientific publications are devoted to the cognitive abilities of these amazing birds, as well as the abilities of some species of parrots, and, of course, such obvious signs and diversity of intelligence manifestations need some explanation.
One of the greatest wiseachers in the animal world - Jaco, or African gray parrot
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Interestingly, in the scientific world, interest in the "extraordinary" abilities of some representatives of birds emerged when biologists and anthropologists seriously thought about ways to develop human intelligence. It is clear that the intellect could not appear out of nowhere at once, it should have had some sort of “primary source” in the evolutionary past. First of all, they began to look for this primary source, of course, in primates. But, taking into account the above examples of the manifestation of "supernormal abilities" demonstrated by jays, ravens, magpies, cockatoo, Jaco and some other representatives of birds, standing on the evolutionary step much farther from humans than the higher primates, it is much more interesting for scientists to try to find an explanation for the origin their cognitive abilities.
What turned out? The brain of birds includes several fields with distributed functions. Each field consists of structural components - glia, neurons and neuroglial complexes. The neuron, as we know, transmits information, the glia helps it, and the neuroglial complex, the information analyzes how the mammalian bark cell columns do it. (The column is represented by a group of neurons located in the neocortex of the brain perpendicular to its surface and unites nerve cells of different layers of the cortex.)
How can we explain the presence of cognitive abilities in these birds, because if you focus on the size of the brain relative to body size, and the total number of neurons, then naturally the birds will not be able to compete with the primates, and the developed new cortex, causing the presence of cognitive abilities of a number of animal representatives they have no peace either.
Studies in this direction have revealed that some of the functions performed by the cerebral cortex in mammals in birds are taken by the striatum (striatum). Historically, the striatum is one of the most ancient parts of the brain, with which the skeptical attitude of the scientific community to its cognitive abilities, which forms the new mammalian bark, is connected. And, nevertheless, it was in some members of the family of birds that the striatum was unexpectedly complex in structure.
If we compare representatives of the overwhelming number of species of birds, like a pigeon, with recognized "intellectuals", like ravens, it turns out that the specific density of neurons in the brain of a crow is twice as large. The cells themselves (both neurons proper and auxiliary glial cells) are smaller in crows, but the intercellular neuroglial complexes responsible for the speed of operational processing of information are highly developed and much larger.
It should be added that the effectiveness of brain activity is determined not only by the number and area of ​​neurons, glia and neuroglial complexes, but also by their mutual orientation in space (a kind of hierarchical structure), which determines the ability of neurons to “communicate” with each other. The mutual arrangement of brain cells with some correction can be characterized using the distance between an arbitrary pair of the closest cells. The average distances between the cells form a so-called “cell proximity matrix”, its own for each studied brain area. This matrix is ​​an excellent tool for assessing the structure of the brain and the potential of cognitive abilities.
Such a comparison was made among the birds, and how competitive is the brain of a crow or, for example, a parrot, in comparison with primates? Scientists from Charles University in Prague and their colleagues from the University of Vienna and Vanderbilt University conducted large-scale studies that compared the numbers of neurons in the brain of a number of fauna and 28 species of birds. The results put the researchers in a state of shock. As it turned out, parrots, crows and songbirds have a specific density of neurons twice that of monkeys and four times more than rodents. More information about the results of research can be found on the pages of PNAS.
The apparent discrepancy is explained simply: as is known, it is considered that the larger the size of a neuron, the more contact it can form with other cells. Consequently, the larger the volume occupied by the brain, the more large neurons can be “placed” in it, which means that the more neural chains can be realized and higher cognitive abilities can be obtained. Like primates, some birds also have large neurons, but in much smaller quantities per unit volume. But the epicenter, which allows not only to realize cognitive abilities, but also in certain respects to excel in this respect, primates are concentrated in a structure called the “cloak” of the terminal or large brain.
In comparison with mammals, crows, parrots and some other representatives of the bird kingdom have a pronounced tendency: instead of large neurons that provide cognitive abilities, there are many small, rigidly structured neurons in the “cloak” that provide the same function. The structural components of the crow's brain are located closer to each other, which speeds up and optimizes the work of the nerve chains. If in mammals in the evolutionary series, the density of cellular elements decreases, then in birds it increases, including by combining single neurons and glia into the above mentioned rather complex neuroglial complexes.
As confirmed by studies on the density of neurons located in parrots and corvids, mainly in the local zone of the final brain and directly involved in the process of supporting cognitive functions, these representatives of birds overtook monkeys.
The next step that scientists intend to take is to try to find out whether there are any unique features in the work of these miniature neurons, which are combined into separate target block zones. Researchers suspect that there are many surprises waiting for them here, because the principles of organizing and transmitting information implemented between adjacent shortened nerve chains - “neural blocks” in birds should look completely different than those realized by significantly larger and simpler neurons. primates. And now it is difficult to rule out the possibility that, despite different brain volumes and a smaller total number of neurons, the crow’s brain will be more perfect than the chimpanzee’s brain. ie in the course of research, as well as principles of organization of the brain responsible for cognitive abilities of birds will partly be used in the development of neural networks of the future.
That's all, with you there was a simple service for choosing sophisticated Dronk.Ru equipment. Do not forget to subscribe to our blog , there will be many more interesting ...
The intelligence of ravens and parrots is an axiom, confirmed both by the observations of the scientific community and the personal experience of the owners of birds. Both parrots and crows are known to have the ability to memorize and pronounce human speech and to use the tools of labor quite rationally. Gray crows sometimes demonstrate incredible intellectual abilities in a variety of situations. They are seen in the winter, moving as if on sledges in aluminum lids from the pans found from snow-covered roofs found somewhere, with obvious enthusiasm they tease dogs and cats, grabbing them by the tails. They soak bread crusts in a puddle, store food, and even learn how to deliberately throw under the wheels of cars something they are not able to eat. In the most incredible way, they recognize people “by sight” regardless of what clothes they are in and easily distinguish a gun from a stick, “cooperate” with each other in joint adventures, for example, they “work” in a pair, stealing eggs from nests: one crow drives the bird from its nest, and the other picks up the eggs. Extensive scientific publications are devoted to the cognitive abilities of these amazing birds, as well as the abilities of some species of parrots, and, of course, such obvious signs and diversity of intelligence manifestations need some explanation.
One of the greatest wiseachers in the animal world - Jaco, or African gray parrot
')
Interestingly, in the scientific world, interest in the "extraordinary" abilities of some representatives of birds emerged when biologists and anthropologists seriously thought about ways to develop human intelligence. It is clear that the intellect could not appear out of nowhere at once, it should have had some sort of “primary source” in the evolutionary past. First of all, they began to look for this primary source, of course, in primates. But, taking into account the above examples of the manifestation of "supernormal abilities" demonstrated by jays, ravens, magpies, cockatoo, Jaco and some other representatives of birds, standing on the evolutionary step much farther from humans than the higher primates, it is much more interesting for scientists to try to find an explanation for the origin their cognitive abilities.
What turned out? The brain of birds includes several fields with distributed functions. Each field consists of structural components - glia, neurons and neuroglial complexes. The neuron, as we know, transmits information, the glia helps it, and the neuroglial complex, the information analyzes how the mammalian bark cell columns do it. (The column is represented by a group of neurons located in the neocortex of the brain perpendicular to its surface and unites nerve cells of different layers of the cortex.)
How can we explain the presence of cognitive abilities in these birds, because if you focus on the size of the brain relative to body size, and the total number of neurons, then naturally the birds will not be able to compete with the primates, and the developed new cortex, causing the presence of cognitive abilities of a number of animal representatives they have no peace either.
Studies in this direction have revealed that some of the functions performed by the cerebral cortex in mammals in birds are taken by the striatum (striatum). Historically, the striatum is one of the most ancient parts of the brain, with which the skeptical attitude of the scientific community to its cognitive abilities, which forms the new mammalian bark, is connected. And, nevertheless, it was in some members of the family of birds that the striatum was unexpectedly complex in structure.
If we compare representatives of the overwhelming number of species of birds, like a pigeon, with recognized "intellectuals", like ravens, it turns out that the specific density of neurons in the brain of a crow is twice as large. The cells themselves (both neurons proper and auxiliary glial cells) are smaller in crows, but the intercellular neuroglial complexes responsible for the speed of operational processing of information are highly developed and much larger.
It should be added that the effectiveness of brain activity is determined not only by the number and area of ​​neurons, glia and neuroglial complexes, but also by their mutual orientation in space (a kind of hierarchical structure), which determines the ability of neurons to “communicate” with each other. The mutual arrangement of brain cells with some correction can be characterized using the distance between an arbitrary pair of the closest cells. The average distances between the cells form a so-called “cell proximity matrix”, its own for each studied brain area. This matrix is ​​an excellent tool for assessing the structure of the brain and the potential of cognitive abilities.
Such a comparison was made among the birds, and how competitive is the brain of a crow or, for example, a parrot, in comparison with primates? Scientists from Charles University in Prague and their colleagues from the University of Vienna and Vanderbilt University conducted large-scale studies that compared the numbers of neurons in the brain of a number of fauna and 28 species of birds. The results put the researchers in a state of shock. As it turned out, parrots, crows and songbirds have a specific density of neurons twice that of monkeys and four times more than rodents. More information about the results of research can be found on the pages of PNAS.
The apparent discrepancy is explained simply: as is known, it is considered that the larger the size of a neuron, the more contact it can form with other cells. Consequently, the larger the volume occupied by the brain, the more large neurons can be “placed” in it, which means that the more neural chains can be realized and higher cognitive abilities can be obtained. Like primates, some birds also have large neurons, but in much smaller quantities per unit volume. But the epicenter, which allows not only to realize cognitive abilities, but also in certain respects to excel in this respect, primates are concentrated in a structure called the “cloak” of the terminal or large brain.
In comparison with mammals, crows, parrots and some other representatives of the bird kingdom have a pronounced tendency: instead of large neurons that provide cognitive abilities, there are many small, rigidly structured neurons in the “cloak” that provide the same function. The structural components of the crow's brain are located closer to each other, which speeds up and optimizes the work of the nerve chains. If in mammals in the evolutionary series, the density of cellular elements decreases, then in birds it increases, including by combining single neurons and glia into the above mentioned rather complex neuroglial complexes.
As confirmed by studies on the density of neurons located in parrots and corvids, mainly in the local zone of the final brain and directly involved in the process of supporting cognitive functions, these representatives of birds overtook monkeys.
The next step that scientists intend to take is to try to find out whether there are any unique features in the work of these miniature neurons, which are combined into separate target block zones. Researchers suspect that there are many surprises waiting for them here, because the principles of organizing and transmitting information implemented between adjacent shortened nerve chains - “neural blocks” in birds should look completely different than those realized by significantly larger and simpler neurons. primates. And now it is difficult to rule out the possibility that, despite different brain volumes and a smaller total number of neurons, the crow’s brain will be more perfect than the chimpanzee’s brain. ie in the course of research, as well as principles of organization of the brain responsible for cognitive abilities of birds will partly be used in the development of neural networks of the future.
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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/369395/
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