Abstract
Rodent populations living in their natural environments have very diverse ecological and life history profiles that may differ substantially from that of conventional laboratory rodents. Free-living rodents show species-specific neurogenesis that are dependent on their unique biology and ecology. This perspective aims to illustrate the benefit of studying wild rodent species in conjunction with laboratory rodents. African mole-rats are discussed in terms of habitat complexity, social structures, and longevity. African mole-rats are a group of subterranean rodents, endemic to Africa, that show major differences in both intrinsic and extrinsic traits compared to the classical rodent models. Mole-rats exhibit a spectrum of sociality within a single family, ranging from solitary to eusocial. This continuum of sociality provides a platform for comparative testing of hypotheses. Indeed, species differences are apparent both in learning ability and hippocampal neurogenesis. In addition, social mole-rat species display a reproductive division of labor that also results in differential hippocampal neurogenesis, independent of age, offering further scope for comparison. In conclusion, it is evident that neurogenesis studies on conventional laboratory rodents are not necessarily representative, specifically because of a lack of diversity in life histories, uniform habitats, and low genetic variability. The observed level of adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus is the result of an intricate balance between many contributing factors, which appear to be specific to distinct groups of animals. The ultimate understanding of the functional and adaptive role of adult neurogenesis will involve research on both laboratory animals and natural rodent populations.
Highlights
It is widely accepted that adult neurogenesis is restricted to two neurogenic regions in the mammalian brain, the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone of the hippocampus (Gage, 2000)
Age is commonly viewed as a potent negative regulator of Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) since there is a dramatic decline in neurogenesis that appears to be age related in most mammals investigated, laboratory rodents included (Kuhn et al, 1996; Amrein et al, 2004; Ben Abdallah et al, 2010)
Social mole-rat colonies exhibit linear dominance hierarchies where larger animals are dominant over smaller animals (Jacobs et al, 1991), but breeding animals are always dominant over non-breeding animals
Summary
It is widely accepted that adult neurogenesis is restricted to two neurogenic regions in the mammalian brain, the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone of the hippocampus (Gage, 2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic traits of wild rodents that were not raised in the laboratory, may differ significantly from that of conventional laboratory animals in factors such as genetic variability, social structure, habitat. African mole-rats are rodent moles that belong to the family Bathyergidae, which differ radically from laboratory rodents in a number of contexts such as environmental niche, social structures, behavior, and longevity (Figure 1). These factors will be compared between laboratory rodents and mole-rats to provide a perspective on differences in the adaptive value of neurogenesis in the two groups of rodents
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