Head direction cells in a migratory bird prefer north.

ABSTRACT: Animals exhibit remarkable navigation abilities as if they have an internal compass. Head direction (HD) cells encoding the animal's heading azimuth are found in the brain of several animal species; the HD cell signals are dependent on the vestibular nuclei, where magnetic responsive cells are present in birds. However, it is difficult to determine whether HD cell signals drive the compass orientation in animals, as they do not necessarily rely on the magnetic compass under all circumstances. Recording of HD cell activities from the medial pallium of shearwater chicks (Calonectris leucomelas) just before their first migration, during which they strongly rely on compass orientation, revealed that shearwater HD cells prefer a north orientation. The preference remained stable regardles

SUBMITTER: Takahashi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8816328 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature