Mapping the magnetoreceptive brain: A 3D digital atlas of the migratory bird Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)

Abstract

Birds undisputedly range amongst natures foremost navigators. To successfully navigate between breeding and wintering quarters, they, in addition to other natural orientation cues, rely on their ability to sense the Earths magnetic field. For this reason, migratory birds have become key model species for studying the sensory mechanisms underlying magnetic field-guided navigation, as evidenced by the identification of several brain regions believed to be involved in processing magnetic field information. However, there is as yet no readily accessible, high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) brain atlas to serve as a common reference within and across studies. Here we provide the neuroscience research community with the first freely available, digital, high-resolution (25 {micro}m), 3D bird brain atlas. It is based on light microscopy images from ten Eurasian blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla), a night-migratory songbird widely used model species in magnetoreception and navigation research. We outline the individual steps for the creation of a brain atlas, from whole-brain imaging using serial-section, two-photon tomography, to the creation of an average template at an isotropic 25-{micro}m voxel size, and finally to brain area segmentation and annotation. In this first version of the atlas, we have mapped a total of 24 brain areas, including 6 principal compartments, 13 conspicuous anatomical subdivisions common to all bird species and 5 functionally defined areas of the visual and trigeminal sensory systems involved in processing magnetic field information. This atlas is accessible via the standardised BrainGlobe Atlas API, making it compatible with a growing suite of computational neuroanatomy tools provided by the BrainGlobe Initiative. This integration enables precise alignment of future experimental data to a common coordinate space, facilitating collaboration, data visualization and sharing. Furthermore, this resource enables the accurate localization and comparison of implanted devices, injection sites, and/or cell populations across individual brains, both within and across studies.