Neural Code of Motor Planning and Execution during Goal-Directed Movements in Crows

Abstract

The planning and execution of head-beak movements are vital components of bird behavior. They require integration of sensory input and internal processes with goal-directed motor output. Despite its relevance, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying action planning and execution outside of the song system are largely unknown. We recorded single-neuron activity from the associative endbrain area nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) of two male carrion crows (Corvus corone) trained to plan and execute head-beak movements in a spatial delayed response task. The crows were instructed to plan an impending movement toward one of eight possible targets on the left or right side of a touchscreen. In a fraction of trials, the crows were prompted to plan a movement toward a self-chosen target. NCL neurons signaled the impending motion direction in instructed trials. Tuned neuronal activity during motor planning categorically represented the target side, but also specific target locations. As a marker of intentional movement preparation, neuronal activity reliably predicted both target side and specific target location when the crows were free to select a target. In addition, NCL neurons were tuned to specific target locations during movement execution. A subset of neurons was tuned during both planning and execution period; these neurons experienced a sharpening of spatial tuning with the transition from planning to execution. These results show that the avian NCL not only represents high-level sensory and cognitive task components, but also transforms behaviorally-relevant information into dynamic action plans and motor execution during the volitional perception-action cycle of birds.

Behavioral and Neuronal Representation of Numerosity Zero in the Crow

“…This effect of error was especially prominent for the empty set. The relevance of NCL activity for the crows' empty-set discriminations is in line with previous observations concerning the coding of behaviorally-relevant rules (Veit and Nieder, 2013;Rinnert and Nieder, 2021), memory contents (Veit et al, 2014;Rinnert et al, 2019), associations (Moll and Nieder, 2015;Veit et al, 2015), and countable numerosities (Ditz and Nieder, 2015, 2016a.…”

The Evolutionary History of Brains for Numbers

“…Within the nidopallium lies the high-level association area, the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL). The NCL is involved in many cognitive functions [29,[33][34][35][36][37] and multimodal processing [38] and has been identified as neural correlate of number representations. Neurons selectively responsive to specific numbers ('number neurons') were found in the NCL of crows (Corvus corone) trained to discriminate the quantity of visual items controlled for non-numerical cues in delayed match-to-sample tasks [39][40][41].…”

A brain atlas of the carrion crow (Corvus corone)

“…Beyond a flair for vocal flexibility, corvids are also known for remarkable cognitive abilities (Clayton & Emery, 2005; Güntürkün & Bugnyar, 2016). They prospectively solve problems (Dally et al., 2006; Rinnert & Nieder, 2021; Veit & Nieder, 2013), manufacture and use tools (Weir et al., 2002), estimate set size (Ditz & Nieder, 2015, 2016a, 2020; Kirschhock et al., 2021), store and manipulate information in memory (Boeckle & Bugnyar, 2012; Rinnert et al., 2019), and exhibit aspects of sensory consciousness (Nieder et al., 2020). Such cognitive feats are special among the birds and are thought to emerge from the telencephalon of corvids.…”