Welcome!

The Neurobiology of Comparative Cognition group at CIMeC (Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy) investigates how different brain architectures give rise to complex cognitive functions.

Using birds as a central model system, our research focuses on the avian hippocampal formation, the neural mechanisms of social interactions, and higher-order visual processing in the avian pallium. Birds combine advanced cognitive abilities with a pallium that is organised in a nuclear rather than laminar fashion, providing a unique opportunity to disentangle cognitive function from cortical structure.

By combining behavioural paradigms with neurophysiological, neuroanatomical, and molecular approaches, we aim to identify general principles of brain organisation and cognition. Ultimately, our work contributes to a unified understanding of cognition across vertebrates by exploiting natural diversity in brain organisation.