Seasonal change in the avian hippocampus.

Authors

David F Sherry, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, CanadaFollow
Scott A MacDougall-Shackleton, Departments of Psychology and Biology, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, CanadaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2015

Journal

Frontiers in neuroendocrinology

Volume

37

First Page

158

Last Page

167

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.11.008

Abstract

The hippocampus plays an important role in cognitive processes, including memory and spatial orientation, in birds. The hippocampus undergoes seasonal change in food-storing birds and brood parasites, there are changes in the hippocampus during breeding, and further changes occur in some species in association with migration. In food-storing birds, seasonal change in the hippocampus occurs in fall and winter when the cognitively demanding behaviour of caching and retrieving food occurs. The timing of annual change in the hippocampus of food-storing birds is quite variable, however, and appears not to be under photoperiod control. A variety of factors, including cognitive performance, exercise, and stress may all influence seasonal change in the avian hippocampus. The causal processes underlying seasonal change in the avian hippocampus have not been extensively examined and the more fully described hormonal influences on the mammalian hippocampus may provide hypotheses for investigating the control of hippocampal seasonality in birds.