PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

Sec. Learning and Memory

Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2025.1638374

Interpreting insect behavior through the lens of executive functions

Provisionally accepted
  • Centrum Kopernika Badan Interdyscyplinarnych Uniwersytetu Jagiellonskiego, Kraków, Poland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The presented perspective proposes interpreting insect behavior through the framework of executive functions (EF), a set of cognitive processes traditionally studied in humans and subsequently extended to other vertebrates. We argue that insect behaviors could be accurately characterized using EF-related constructs such as inhibition, shifting, and working memory. By systematically reviewing both explicit and implicit uses of EF-related terminology in the insect cognition literature, we demonstrate conceptual and functional parallels that support this reinterpretation. We also propose that applying the EF framework generates novel, testable predictions about behavioral flexibility, and context-sensitive control in insects. Further, we highlight candidate neural substrates (specifically the mushroom bodies and central complex) that may underpin executive-like processing in insect brains. Our perspective is grounded in comparative cognitive science and encourages a shift toward domain-general interpretations of behavior in small-brained organisms. This approach provides a cohesive theoretical foundation for understanding the mechanisms that govern individual and group behaviors in insects and promotes integrative research across species. By bridging concepts from domains of neuropsychology, ethology, and behavioral neuroscience, the manuscript outlines both the promise and limitations of the proposed framework, offering a possible foundation for future empirical and theoretical work.

Keywords: executive functions, Insect cognition, Mushroom Bodies, central complex, behavioral flexibility, Behavioral Control, comparative neuroethology

Received: 30 May 2025; Accepted: 07 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Baran, Obidziński and Hohol. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Bartosz Baran, Centrum Kopernika Badan Interdyscyplinarnych Uniwersytetu Jagiellonskiego, Kraków, Poland
Mateusz Hohol, Centrum Kopernika Badan Interdyscyplinarnych Uniwersytetu Jagiellonskiego, Kraków, Poland

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