biology

Nidopallium

Nidopallium is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nidopallium rather than just read about it. In short: The nidopallium, meaning nested pallium, is the region of the avian brain that is used mostly for some types of executive functions but also for other higher cognitive tasks. The region was renamed nidopallium in 2002 during the Avian Brain Nomenclature Consortium because the prior name, neostriatum, suggested that the region was used for more primitive functions as the neostriatum in mammalian brains is sub-cortica…

Key takeaways

Nidopallium belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nidopallium to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nidopallium from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The nidopallium, meaning nested pallium, is the region of the avian brain that is used mostly for some types of executive functions but also for other higher cognitive tasks. The region was renamed nidopallium in 2002 during the Avian Brain Nomenclature Consortium because the prior name, neostriatum, suggested that the region was used for more primitive functions as the neostriatum in mammalian brains is sub-cortical.

Anatomy The avian nidopallium is an area of the cortical telencephalon of the avian forebrain, and is itself subdivided into smaller regions as a result of further functional localisation. It has been apportioned along the rostrocaudal (anteroposterior) axis into three hypothetical segments: the rostral, intermediate and caudal nidopallium. These three regions are themselves trichotomised: the caudal nidopallium, for example, aggregates the nidopallium caudocentral (NCC), caudomedial (NCM) and caudolateral (NCL). It is the nidopallium caudolaterale which is thought to undertake many of the complex, higher order cognitive functions in birds. Rehkamper et al. (1985) further demarcated the nidopallium into 16 separate sections (distinguished by differing cell densities in these areas), although the previously stated anatomical divisions are generally accepted for most purposes for delineating between the nidopallium's various functional specialisations.

Function The entire nidopallium region is a compelling area for neuroscientific research, especially in relation to its capacity for complex cognitive function. More specifically, the nidopallium caudolateral appears particularly involved with the aspect of executive function in the avian brain. One study has been performed to demonstrate that this area is in fact largely analogous to the mammalian prefrontal cortex – the region of the brain covering the most rostral section of the frontal lobe, responsible for more complex cognitive behaviour in mammals, such as humans. The experiment sought to measure the densities of various neurotransmitter receptors in both the avian NCL and the human prefrontal cortex, using quantitative in-vitro receptor autoradiography. It was found that the NCL contained lower absolute quantities of these neuronal receptors. However, the experiment also revealed that the relative densities of these receptors in both organisms were surprisingly similar. With this, there is the possible implication that the capability for such sophisticated mental processes in these structures is reliant on the receptor architecture of the neurons which comprise them. So despite the nidopallium and prefrontal cortex having evolved separately (an educated assumption), both have achieved similar functions of higher order thought processes via convergent evolution, as a result of influences at the molecular level. The nidopallium is also heavily innervated by dopaminergic neurons from the direction of the brainstem. It is thought that the high concentration of dopamine (a neurotransmitter often involved with motivation, reward circuits and motor control) in this area may contribute to the ability of the NCL to execute higher order cognitive functions. Furthermore, the neural activity of the nidopallium greatly increases when birds are exposed to reward-predicting visual stimuli. This, once more, evidences the considerable presence of dopaminergic neurons in this area, as implied by their stereotypical activation in anticipation of reward. Migration is one of the many intricate behavioural processes governed by the nidopallium in birds. Studies have shown that there is significant neuronal recruitment to this region of the avian brain during migratory flight, with the objective of enhancing cognitive potency in the nidopallium. As a result, the birds benefit from improved navigational capabilities during migration, prompted by the significant changes in spatial sensory stimuli. This is a distinct example of neuroplasticity in the avian brain, and has been used to extend our understanding of the nidopallium. The experimental method is similar to that of lesion-deficit analysis, whereby scientists examine the deficiencies of patients with particular brain lesions in order to determine the function of the affected part of the brain. Alternatively, the avian migration experiment was able to analyse the role of the nidopallium because its functional capacity was enhanced, rather than diminished.

See also Avian pallium Brain Prefrontal cortex

References

External links Avian Brain Resource Archived 2018-01-29 at the Wayback Machine Atoji, Yasuro; Wild, J. Martin (2009). "Afferent and efferent projections of the central caudal nidopallium in the pigeon (Columba livia)". The Journal of Comparative Neurology. 517 (3): 350–370. doi:10.1002/cne.22146. PMID 19760740. S2CID 205680288. Herold, Christina; Palomero-Gallagher, Nicola; Hellmann, Burkhard; Kröner, Sven; Theiss, Carsten; Güntürkün, Onur; Zilles, Karl (2011). "The receptor architecture of the pigeons' nidopallium caudolaterale: an avian analogue to the mammalian prefrontal cortex". Brain Structure and Function. 216 (3): 239–254. doi:10.1007/s00429-011-0301-5. PMID 21293877. S2CID 10703780. Kasties, N; Starosta, S; Güntürkün, O; Stüttgen, MC (2016). "Neurons in the pigeon caudolateral nidopallium differentiate Pavlovian conditioned stimuli but not their associated reward value in a sign-tracking paradigm". Sci Rep. 6 35469. Bibcode:2016NatSR...635469K. doi:10.1038/srep35469. PMC 5071861. PMID 27762287. Barkan, S; Roll, U; Yom-Tov, Y; Wassenaar, LI; Barnea, A (2016). "Possible linkage between neuronal recruitment and flight distance in migratory birds". Sci Rep. 6 21983. Bibcode:2016NatSR...621983B. doi:10.1038/srep21983. PMC 4764934. PMID 26905978.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nidopallium

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nidopallium claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nidopallium before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nidopallium ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nidopallium

In research: Nidopallium appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nidopallium in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nidopallium is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Animal nervous system, Bird neuroanatomy, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nidopallium outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nidopallium in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nidopallium means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nidopallium out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nidopallium in simple terms?

Why does Nidopallium matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nidopallium?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nidopallium.