American crows that excel at tool use activate neural circuits distinct from less talented individuals

LomaJohn T. Pendergraft (), John M. Marzluff, Donna J. Cross, Toru Shimizu and Christopher N. Templeton
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LomaJohn T. Pendergraft: University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
John M. Marzluff: University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
Donna J. Cross: University of Utah, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences
Toru Shimizu: University of South Florida, Department of Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences
Christopher N. Templeton: Western Washington University, Biology Department

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Tools enable animals to exploit and command new resources. However, the neural circuits underpinning tool use and how neural activity varies with an animal’s tool proficiency, are only known for humans and some other primates. We use 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography to image the brain activity of naïve vs trained American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) when presented with a task requiring the use of stone tools. As in humans, talent affects the neural circuits activated by crows as they prepare to execute the task. Naïve and less proficient crows use neural circuits associated with sensory- and higher-order processing centers (the mesopallium and nidopallium), while highly proficient individuals increase activity in circuits associated with motor learning and tactile control (hippocampus, tegmentum, nucleus basorostralis, and cerebellum). Greater proficiency is found primarily in adult female crows and may reflect their need to use more cognitively complex strategies, like tool use, to obtain food.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42203-8

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