19 September 2002

Neurobiology: Owls in space

(Cover, main image: Tyto Alba/ Getty Images)

In many species, including the barn owl and humans, adults are severely limited in their ability to adapt to injury or environmental change. But the success of an incremental training programme teaching adult owls to adapt their auditory space map to a changing environment shows that plasticity of the adult nervous system can be a match for the young. This capacity for learning might be tapped in other areas of the adult central nervous system using step-by-step methods.

Incremental training increases the plasticity of the auditory space map in adult barn owls
BRIE A. LINKENHOKER & ERIC I. KNUDSEN
Nature 419, 293–296 (2002); doi:10.1038/nature01002
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Neurobiology: Plasticity and the older owl
HEMAI PARTHASARATHY
Age reduces the brain's ability to adapt to change. But a surprising measure of neural adaptation does occur, at least in one experimental situation, if change is introduced bit by bit.
Nature 419, 258–259 (2002); doi:10.1038/419258a
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You can teach an owl new tricks