The genetic basis of specialized spatial cognition / Curr. Biol., Nov. 3, 2021 (Vol. 32, Issue 1)

In this video, we describe our recent findings published in Current Biology, where we investigate the genetic basis of spatial learning and memory abilities in mountain chickadees. We find that individual variation in spatial cognition is associated with variation across the genome, showing that top outlier genes are associated with hippocampal development and function. This work is conducted on nonmigratory birds that use spatial learning and memory to relocate their food stores and survive harsh winters. Check out the paper at http://www.cell.com/current-biology/f.... C.L. Branch, G.A. Semenov, D.N. Wagner, B.R. Sonnenberg, A.M. Pitera, E.S. Bridge, S.A. Taylor, and V.V. Pravosudov (2021). The genetic basis of spatial cognitive variation in a food-caching bird. Curr. Biol. 32. And read more great research at http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home.