Major learning, memory surge during Neelkanth breeding season
PRAYAGRAJ : The neurobiology laboratory of the Allahabad University’s department of zoology, studying the brain functions of the Indian tropical bird Coracias benghalensis, commonly known as Indian Roller or ‘Neelkanth’ has found that it is quite similar to that of a human brain.
A team of experts from the lab has revealed that during the breeding season, learning and memory is enhanced enormously which leads to perfect identification of a partner for courtship behaviour and mating, nest building, territorial marking and parental care.
This study, led by Prof KP Singh and his co-worker Kirti Ojha, has been published in the international journal ‘Zoology’ published by Elsevier.
“This bird has two reproductive phases: Breeding (May to July when they lay their eggs and hatch them) and Non-Breeding (rest of the months of the year). During breeding season, the male bird displays a dramatic courtship dance in mid-air endowed with acrobatic performances to attract the female by flying high in the air with stretched wings and it rolls and tends to fall in a circular pattern along with screaming and cacophony. This peculiar behaviour is not performed during the non-breeding and resting phase of the bird’s life,” explained Prof Singh.
The two researchers have linked this phenomenon with the learning and memory centre of the bird’s brain, the Hippocampal complex, which is similar to the hippocampus of mammals, including humans.
It was further revealed that during the breeding phase of life, the volume of the hippocampus increases with additional neuronal connections or circuits (dendrites) of various neuronal types are developed and most importantly “dendritic spines” are substantially increased, explained Prof Singh.
“It is these ‘Dendritic spines’ which are scientifically referred to as “memory molecules”.
It is assumed that all connections of the brain are activated during breeding season, but a massive change is found in the structure and function of the hippocampus due to which learning capacity is increased manifold and leads towards permanent memory in the form of ‘Sexual Imprinting’ for mate selection and mating,” said Prof Singh.
The study was performed in the least number of birds after due permission from higher authorities of the Forest Department, Lucknow, and approval of Institutional Animal Ethics Committee at AU.
“We have to understand that since the Hippocampal complex of the bird is analogous to the human brain, hence, it is postulated that during human pregnancy, substantive changes in the mother’s brain are also expected”, claimed Prof Singh.