Reply to Rattenborg and Martinez-Gonzalez: Fundamental and divergent aspects of the neurobiology of episodic memory

Abstract

To shed light on the evolution of episodic memory, we recently integrated the behavioral evidence across species with a comparative analysis of the underlying neurobiology and neural mechanisms (1). We conclude that fundamental features of episodic memory are present in mammals and birds and that a similar neural circuit could support this capacity across species (figure 2C in ref. 1). This circuit consists of homologous structures including the hippocampus (HC) and, to some extent, the mammalian parahippocampal region and avian area parahippocampalis (APH). The circuit also includes analogous structures, such as the mammalian prefrontal cortex (PFC) and avian nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL). In their …