Researchers from Ruhr University decided to understand how birds make decisions and which parts of the brain
Researchers presented tasks to animalsand continuously recorded MRI images to record the activity of brain regions that are active during task processing. Unlike MRI scans in humans, in which participants can respond to tasks by pressing buttons, pigeons respond by opening and closing their beak, which is recorded by a sensor under the beak.
The researchers checked the quality of thefMRI images during the test study. The pigeons had to learn to distinguish between two colors. Animals learned to respond to the appearance of the correct color by opening their beak, and were rewarded for correct answers.
Scientists have managed to recreate the process that occurs in a black hole
“The data of the MRI test showed thateven with such a simple task, a whole network of areas in the pigeon's brain is active that could not have been explored before, ”said Onur Gyuntyurkun, professor of biopsychology. “We can now conduct research with even more complex cognitive tasks. We will be able to determine the brain basis of the birds' abilities. "
In their method, a slice of brain images are generated withusing a strong magnet. It shows how well individual parts of the brain are supplied with oxygen. Very active areas of the brain have lower oxygen saturation than less active areas. Therefore, you can, for example, see which parts of the brain have special difficulties in solving a problem.
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