Abstract
The brains of mice selectively bred for differential locomotor activity in an open field (DeFrieset al., Behav. Genet. 8:3–13, 1978) were analyzed for selection-dependent changes in the size of synaptic fields at the midseptotemporal level of the hippocampus. Timm-stained areas of all hippocampal fields from both left and right hippocampi were measured on five horizontal sections from the midseptotemporal level. The sample included 25 mice from two replicate lines, each one consisting of a high (HI); a low (LO), and a control line (CTL). The main selection effect was an enlargement of the intrainfrapyramidal mossy fiber (IIP-MF) projection in both HI lines by about 70% compared to LO and CTL mice (p<.0001), while other mossy fiber fields did not show differences. These findings confirm that genetic variations of the IIP-MF projection influence hippocampal processes mediating exploratory activities.
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This article is part of a M.D. thesis submitted to the Medical Faculty of the University of Zürich by the first author.
We are deeply saddened by her untimely death.
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Hausheer-Zarmakupi, Z., Wolfer, D.P., Leisinger-Trigona, MC. et al. Selective breeding for extremes in open-field activity of mice entails a differentiation of hippocampal mossy fibers. Behav Genet 26, 167–176 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02359894
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02359894