Associative learning rapidly establishes neuronal representations of upcoming behavioral choices in crows

Corvid songbirds show remarkable cognitive abilities. The executive brain area nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) is thought to mediate flexible behavior and cognition in birds, similar to the independently evolved prefrontal cortex in mammals. Here, we show that NCL neurons in crows change their responses during associative learning tasks to signal which stimuli belong together. NCL activity mapped distinct visual stimuli to a common associated response by grouping them according to their meaning. During association learning, such goal-oriented prospective representations are rapidly established within minutes of encountering previously unknown stimuli. By enabling a common, behaviorally meaningful code for both novel and highly familiar stimuli based on their required responses, NCL neuronal activity is ideally suited for executive control of flexible, goal-driven behavior.