The hippocampus is a brain area that has been linked to memory for spatial information in birds and mammals, including humans. Bird migration is one of the most spectacular achievements of spatial navigation known in the natural world. Thus, it seems likely that the hippocampus plays an essential role in bird migration. Dr. Cristol's research follows three experimental avenues to determine if the hippocampus is involved in bird migration: (1) a comparison between the brains of migratory and non-migratory birds, (2) a behavioral study comparing the memory abilities of these same birds, and (3) a field experiment to determine whether differences in brain anatomy and memory translate into differing abilities to return home after a simulated migration journey.
The avian hippocampus has the remarkable capacity to enlarge through growth of new nerve cells at times of year when more spatial memory is needed. This phenomenon, change in the size of adult brains, offers hope of someday understanding how human brains might recover after aging or injury. Dr. Cristol's research will also improve our understanding of what the hippocampus does, when its nerve cells change, and how the shape and size of brain areas relate to important behaviors such as bird migration. The educational component of this project is multifaceted. Among its activities, it will incorporate 2 to 4 undergraduates per year in observation of bird migration and social interactions in bird flocks, will involve students in the study of hippocampal anatomy, will provide outreach to local high schools, and will develop a listserver for use by any interested scientist who wishes to enroll.
