2012-12-12
Most of our everyday activities consist of action sequences as for instance brushing your teeth, shoe lacing or driving a car. The pigeon is a classic animal model for studying the fundaments of sequence learning and execution. Yet, little is known about the neural basis mediating sequences in pigeons. In a recent study, scientists from the Biopsychology department in collaboration with the Mercator Research Group "Structure and Memory" identified two forebrain structures in the pigeon brain that play a pivotal role in mediating a memorized sequence.
Researchers of the Biopsychology department already showed in a previous study (Helduser & Güntürkün, 2012) that the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) and the nidopallium intermedium medilalis pars laterale (NIML) are associated with sequence execution. However, in the previous study the pigeons' behavior was cue guided. To clarify the role of both structures for memorized sequences, the authors of the recent study applied a purely memory based task. Pigeons learned to peck a four item-sequence on a touch screen. Pharmacological inactivation both of NCL and NIML impaired sequence execution confirming previous results that NCL and NIML store and process sequences in parallel. In addition, a special role of NCL for sequence initiation was revealed.
Most of our everyday activities consist of action sequences as for instance brushing your teeth, shoe lacing or driving a car. The pigeon is a classic animal model for studying the fundaments of sequence learning and execution. Yet, little is known about the neural basis mediating sequences in pigeons. In a recent study, scientists from the Biopsychology department in collaboration with the Mercator Research Group "Structure and Memory" identified two forebrain structures in the pigeon brain that play a pivotal role in mediating a memorized sequence.
Researchers of the Biopsychology department already showed in a previous study (Helduser & Güntürkün, 2012) that the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) and the nidopallium intermedium medilalis pars laterale (NIML) are associated with sequence execution. However, in the previous study the pigeons' behavior was cue guided. To clarify the role of both structures for memorized sequences, the authors of the recent study applied a purely memory based task. Pigeons learned to peck a four item-sequence on a touch screen. Pharmacological inactivation both of NCL and NIML impaired sequence execution confirming previous results that NCL and NIML store and process sequences in parallel. In addition, a special role of NCL for sequence initiation was revealed.
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Last update: Oct 03, 2023
