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What happens when you stick a Nile crocodile in an MRI machine? You get a first look at sensory processing in a novel, poikilothermic animal.

Crocodiles are the closest living relatives to birds, which, despite the differences between the brains of avian models and humans, are often used in neurological research. What’s shared between birds and crocodiles might provide some extra evolutionary insight. The anatomy of the crocodilian brain has been characterized but functional information was lacking, until researchers figured out how to immobilize and sedate juvenile Nile crocodiles for use in an MRI machine. With a customized procedure in place, they recorded blood oxygen level-dependent signal changes in the animals’ telencephalon while they listened to Bach and were presented with different colors.