The migratory behavioral profile of birds is characterized by considerable variation in migratory phenotype, and a number of distinct orientation and navigational mechanisms supports avian migration and homing. As such, bird navigation potentially offers a unique opportunity to investigate the neurogenomics of an often spectacular, naturally occurring spatial cognition. However, a number of factors may impede realization of this potential. First, aspects of the migratory behavior displayed by birds, including some navigational-support mechanisms, are under innate/genetic influence as, for example, young birds on their first migration display appropriate migratory orientation and timing without any prior experience and even when held in captivity from the time of birth. Second, many of the genes with an allelic variation that co-varies with migratory phenotype are genes that regulate processes unrelated to cognition. Where cognition and navigation clearly converge is in the familiar landmark/landscape navigation best studied in homing pigeons and known to be dependent on the hippocampus. Encouraging here are differences in hippocampal organization among different breeds of domestic pigeons and a different allelic profile in the LRP8 gene of homing pigeons. A focus on the hippocampus also suggests that differences in developmentally active genes that promote hippocampal differentiation might also be genes where allelic or epigenetic variation could explain the control of or comparison-group differences in a cognition of navigation. Sobering, however, is just how little has been learned about the neurogenomics of cognition ("intelligence") in humans despite the vast resources and research activity invested; resources that would be unimaginable for any avian study investigating bird navigation.

中文翻译：

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寻找支持鸟类迁徙和导航的认知过程的神经基因组学

鸟类的迁徙行为特征以迁徙表型的相当大的变化为特征，并且许多不同的方向和导航机制支持鸟类迁徙和归巢。因此，鸟类导航可能提供一个独特的机会来研究通常壮观的、自然发生的空间认知的神经基因组学。然而，许多因素可能会阻碍这种潜力的实现。首先，鸟类表现出的迁徙行为的各个方面，包括一些导航支持机制，都受到先天/遗传的影响，例如，幼鸟在没有任何先前经验的情况下，即使在没有任何先前经验的情况下，也表现出适当的迁徙方向和时间。从出生时就被囚禁。第二，许多具有与迁移表型共变的等位基因变异的基因是调节与认知无关的过程的基因。认知和导航明显融合在熟悉的地标/景观导航中，最好在信鸽中进行研究，并且已知依赖于海马体。令人鼓舞的是，不同品种家鸽之间海马组织的差异以及信鸽 LRP8 基因的不同等位基因谱。对海马体的关注还表明，促进海马体分化的发育活跃基因的差异也可能是等位基因或表观遗传变异可以解释导航认知控制或对照组差异的基因。然而发人深省，尽管投入了大量资源和研究活动，但人们对人类认知（“智能”）的神经基因组学知之甚少；对于任何调查鸟类导航的鸟类研究来说，这些资源都是不可想象的。