F brain ehavior relationships in birds isn’t restricted to visual systems.The auditory method has also been examined, particularly in owls as a result of their remarkable sound localization ability, unique morphological specializations, and rather sophisticated, adaptive neural circuitry (Schwartzkopff and Winter, Payne, Knudsen et al Knudsen, Takahashi et al Whitchurch and Takahashi, Takahashi,).A rather unique function that sets some owls aside from other folks with respect to sound localization may be the presence of vertically asymmetrical ears, which has evolved independently many occasions in owls (Norberg, , ).This vertical ear asymmetry is specifically important for localizing sounds in elevation.To localize sound, neurons within the external nucleus of your inferior colliculus (ICx) in the midbrain are tuned to auditory space, but these neurons differ PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21531787 in their receptive fields among asymmetrically and symmetrically eared owls.In owls with vertically asymmetrical ears, these neurons have receptive fields which are restricted in each elevation and azimuth, whereas in owls with vertically symmetrical ears, they may be restricted only in azimuth (Knudsen et al Knudsen and Konishi, a,b; Sensible et al Volman and Konishi,).The tuning of each elevation and azimuth enables asymmetrically eared owls to accurately capture prey in comprehensive darkness based solely on acoustic cues whereas symmetrically eared owls cannot (Payne,).In barn owls, the azimuthal and elevationalLack of Hypertrophy inside the Tectofugal PathwayDespite the fact that the tectofugal pathway (TeO, nRt, E; see Figures A) is regarded because the “main” visual pathway and would be the primary source of visual input towards the avian brain, there is comparatively little variation within the relative size of your pathway as a entire or every single of the brain regions that comprise this pathway (Iwaniuk et al).All 3 structures, TeO, nRt, and E, were somewhat smaller sized in owls, parrots, and waterfowl (Figures D).Though not included in Iwaniuk et al Martin et al. discovered that the kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) has an even smaller TeO and most likely represents a case of tectofugal hypotrophy.This might not reflect a reduction inside the tectofugal regions per se, but rather an expansion of other regions and pathways.Waterfowl, parrots and owls all have an enlarged telencephalon (Portmann, Iwaniuk and Hurd,), but have enlarged regions within the telencephalon apart from the E.The apparently tiny tectofugal pathway may possibly as a result be a outcome of an enlarged telencephalon in these groups.At the other end of the spectrum, no PLV-2 Autophagy species appeared to have a hypertrophied tectofugal pathway.The isthmal nuclei (Imc, Ipc, Slu), that are closely linked with all the tectofugal pathway, scaled with negative allometry relative to brain size, but had isometric (i.e ) relationshipsFrontiers in Neuroscience www.frontiersin.orgAugust Volume ArticleWylie et al.Evolution of sensory systems in birdsFIGURE Variation in the size of structures in the tectofugal pathway.(A) Show Nissl stained sections highlighting the major nuclei of the tectofugal pathway the optic tectum (TeO) (A), the nucleus rotundus (nRt) (B) plus the Entopallium (E) (C).The sections in (A,B) are from an Eastern Yellow Robin (E.australis) whereas that in (C) is from a Shortbilled Dowitcher (L.griseus).GLv, ventral leaflet of the lateral geniculate nucleus; GP, globus pallidus; HA, hyperpalliumapicale; Imc, nucleus isthmi magnocellularis; Ipc, nucleus isthmi parvocellularis; LM, nucleus lentiformis mesenceph.