Size Matters

8 replies

Lalit

2011/09/30 15:11

Length of Songbirds Playlists Linked to Brain Region Proportions Songbirds with upper brain regions that are larger in relation to lower regions have a greater capacity for learning songs. Higher brain areas control the majority of cognitive and learning functions, while lower brain areas control more motor functions,

Lalit

2011/09/30 15:11

when a bird's higher cortex-like brain area called the high vocal center (HVC) is larger relative to the lower brain area called RA, or if the RA is large relative to an even lower area called N12, the species is able to learn dozens of different notes. Such species as mockingbirds, catbirds, European blackbirds and European warblers can learn hundreds of notes because they have those relative size differences in both sets of areas..

Lalit

2011/09/30 15:12

In bird species with great capacities for song learning, higher brain areas likely became built up over lower areas as a result of sexual selection, where females mated with males that had more elaborate songs. Repeated over millions of generations, the structure of the brains of these species changed such that higher brain areas became larger relative to lower areas.