Published April 14, 2022 | Version v1
Dataset Open

Data from: Neuron numbers link innovativeness with both absolute and relative brain size in birds

Authors/Creators

  • 1. CSIC-CREAF
  • 2. Charles University
  • 3. University College London
  • 4. CREAF
  • 5. Washington University in St. Louis
  • 6. University of Montana
  • 7. McGill University

Description

A long-standing issue in biology is whether the intelligence of animals can be predicted by absolute or relative brain size. However, progress has been hampered by an insufficient understanding of how neuron numbers shape internal brain organization and cognitive performance. Based on estimations of neuron numbers for 111 bird species, we show here that the number of neurons in the pallial telencephalon is positively associated with a major expression of intelligence: innovation propensity. The number of pallial neurons, in turn, is greater in brains that are larger in both absolute and relative terms, and positively co-varies with longer post-hatching development periods. Thus, our analyses show that neuron numbers link cognitive performance to both absolute and relative brain size through developmental adjustments. These findings help unify neuro-anatomical measures at multiple levels, reconciling contradictory views over the biological significance of brain expansion. The results also highlight the value of a life history perspective to advance our understanding of the evolutionary bases of the connections between brain and cognition.

Notes

This research was funded by MINECO (PID2020-119514GB-I00, to D.S.), the Czech Science Foundation (18-15020S, to P.N.), the Grant Agency of Charles University (1438217 to M.K.) and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellowship (grant agreement 838998, to F.S).

Files

KSepka_grades.csv

Files (7.5 MB)

Name Size Download all
md5:e88d3e937d0b70d3f83011a3401d3f80
2.8 kB Download
md5:b5fa61b764fcbf5f94fa040a32307568
12.1 kB Download
md5:ff2519df2ca2ae7281f6d08494fd0799
12.4 kB Download
md5:69974f912976bf112a1afa99bf01ae33
11.7 kB Download
md5:8f4655ca25ac6ca00b056811dc37a2e7
40.7 kB Download
md5:fbca7e5a9a687e6de49d7b4c030c1483
155.6 kB Preview Download
md5:e44dec54ffd37bbead1c123a0266ea54
17.0 kB Preview Download
md5:7254195ba02d1dd736911876da35ca2e
7.2 MB Download
md5:d3a4a8d792c5cf354f3b872efe15624a
13.9 kB Download