Number neurons in the nidopallium of young domestic chicks

TLDR

Numerical cognition is ubiquitous across animals, domestic chicks are a common developmental model, yet the neural basis of their numerical abilities remains unknown. The study aims to describe number neurons in the caudal nidopallium of young domestic chicks. The authors examined the caudal nidopallium of young chicks to identify and characterize number neurons. We found number neurons in young chicks that resemble those in adult prefrontal cortex, indicating that numerosity perception may be an innate vertebrate feature, and chicks can perform sophisticated numerical tasks soon after hatching.

Abstract

Numerical cognition is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom. Domestic chicks are a widely used developmental model for studying numerical cognition. Soon after hatching, chicks can perform sophisticated numerical tasks. Nevertheless, the neural basis of their numerical abilities has remained unknown. Here, we describe number neurons in the caudal nidopallium (functionally equivalent to the mammalian prefrontal cortex) of young domestic chicks. Number neurons that we found in young chicks showed remarkable similarities to those in the prefrontal cortex and caudal nidopallium of adult animals. Thus, our results suggest that numerosity perception based on number neurons might be an inborn feature of the vertebrate brain.