When One Hemisphere Takes Control: Metacontrol in Pigeons (Columba livia)

Adam, Ruth; Güntürkün, Onur

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005307

Cited by 25 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Specifically, a more robust FC may be an inevitable consequence of the dynamic nature of network organizations in which larger numbers of neurons are recruited when a complex operation, e.g., hippocampal spatial navigation or cortical language, is mostly executed by a functional system within a single hemisphere. That indeed a complete sensorimotor circuit can be under uni‐hemispheric control has been shown in human (Levy and Trevarthen, ; Urgesi et al, ) and pigeon (Adam and Gunturkun, ; Unver and Gunturkun, ) meta‐control experiments in which task execution is governed by a single hemisphere.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Network structure of functional hippocampal lateralization in birds

et al. 2015

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Functional hemispheric asymmetry is a common feature of vertebrate brain organization, yet little is known about how hemispheric dominance is implemented at the neural level. One notable example of hemispheric dominance in birds is the leading role of the left hippocampal formation in controlling navigational processes that support homing in pigeons. Relying on resting state fMRI analyses (where Functional connectivity (FC) can be determined by placing a reference 'seed' for connectivity in one hemisphere), we show that following seeding in either an anterior or posterior region of the hippocampal formation of homing pigeons and starlings, the emergent FC maps are consistently larger following seeding of the left hippocampus. Left seedings are also more likely to result in FC maps that extend to the contralateral hippocampus and outside the boundaries of the hippocampus. The data support the hypothesis that broader FC is one neural-organizational property that confers, with respect to navigation, functional dominance to the left hippocampus of birds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Network structure of functional hippocampal lateralization in birds

et al. 2015

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“…Indeed, several reports in birds have observed that choices during binocularly performed visual discriminations were mostly under left hemisphere control (Güntürkün, 1985; Von Fersen & Güntürkün, 1990; Nottelmann et al. , 2002; Xiao & Güntürkün, 2009; but see Adam & Güntürkün, 2009). In chicks it has additionally been shown that they actively look with their right eye at colour cues that are associated with food reward (Vallortigara et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Third, choices during binocularly performed visual discriminations are mostly under left hemisphere control (Güntürkün, 1985; Nottelmann et al. , 2002; Xiao & Güntürkün, 2009; but see Adam & Güntürkün, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lateralized reward‐related visual discrimination in the avian entopallium

Verhaal

Kirsch

Vlachos

et al. 2012

Eur J of Neuroscience

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In humans and many other animals, the two cerebral hemispheres are partly specialized for different functions. However, knowledge about the neuronal basis of lateralization is mostly lacking. The visual system of birds is an excellent model in which to investigate hemispheric asymmetries as birds show a pronounced left hemispheric advantage in the discrimination of various visual objects. In addition, visual input crosses at the optic chiasm and thus testing of each hemisphere is easily accomplished. We aimed to find a neuronal correlate for three hallmarks of visual lateralization in pigeons: first, the animals learn faster with the right eye-left hemisphere; second, they reach higher performance levels under this condition; third, visually guided behavior is mostly under left hemisphere control. To this end, we recorded from the left and right forebrain entopallium while the animals performed a colour discrimination task. We found that, even before learning, left entopallial neurons were more responsive to visual stimulation. Subsequent discrimination acquisition recruited more neuronal responses in the left entopallium and these cells showed a higher degree of differentiation between the rewarded and the unrewarded stimulus. Thus, differential left-right responses are already present, albeit to a modest degree, before learning. As soon as some cues are associated with reward, however, this asymmetry increases substantially and the higher discrimination ratio of the left hemispheric tectofugal pathway would not only contribute to a higher performance of this hemisphere but could thereby also result in a left hemispheric dominance over downstream motor structures via reward-associated feedback systems.

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“…A prerequisite for this phenomenon is a process termed metacontrol, i.e., the mechanism by which one hemisphere takes charge of behaviour by inhibiting conflicting responses from the contralateral side of the brain. Until a recent study in pigeons (Adam and Güntürkün, 2009), which demonstrated that this process occurs also in avian species, metacontrol had been directly investigated only in primates (mostly humans, Hellige, Jonsson and Michimata, 1988;Urgesi, Bricolo and Aglioti, 2005; for evidence from macaques see Kavcic, Fei, Hu and Doty, 2000). However, indirect evidence of metacontrol in avian species was already available in the literature (e.g., see the above reviewed research in chicks) since this process is even more relevant for animals, like birds, with laterally placed eyes and complete chiasmatic decussation, in which visual input to the hemispheres is largely independent.…”

Section: Recognition Of Familiar Social Partnersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cerebral and Behavioural Asymmetries in Animal Social Recognition

Rosa‐Salva¹,

Regolin²,

Mascalzoni³

et al. 2012

CCBR

110

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Evidence is here summarized that animal species belonging to distant taxa show forms of social recognition, a sophisticated cognitive ability adaptive in most social interactions. The paper then proceeds to review evidence of functional lateralization for this cognitive ability. The main focus of this review is evidence obtained in domestic chickens, the animal model employed in the authors' laboratories, but we also discuss comparisons with data from species ranging from fishes, amphibians and reptiles, to other birds and mammals. A consistent pattern emerges, pointing toward a right hemisphere dominance, in particular for discrimination of social companions and individual (or familiarity-based) recognition, whereas the left hemisphere could be specialized for "category-based" distinctions (e.g., conspecifics versus heterospecifics). This pattern of results is discussed in relation to a more general specialization and processing styles of the two sides of the brain, with the right hemisphere predisposed for developing a detailed, global and contextual representation of objects, and the left hemisphere predisposed for rapid assignment of a stimulus to a category, for processing releaser stimuli and for control of responses.

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When One Hemisphere Takes Control: Metacontrol in Pigeons (Columba livia)

Cited by 25 publications

References 23 publications

Network structure of functional hippocampal lateralization in birds

Network structure of functional hippocampal lateralization in birds

Lateralized reward‐related visual discrimination in the avian entopallium

Cerebral and Behavioural Asymmetries in Animal Social Recognition

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