Adult neurogenesis in the telencephalon of a lizard: a [3H]thymidine autoradiographic and bromodeoxyuridine immunocytochemical study.

A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of adult neurogenesis in the telencephalon of a lizard was conducted using [3H]thymidine autoradiography and immunocytochemical detection of 5'-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). The sites of cell proliferation, the fate, and the phenotype of cells born in adulthood were determined by short and long survival experiments (7 and 30 days). Adult specimens of the Moorish gecko, Tarentola mauritanica (Sauria, Gekkonidae), received subcutaneous injections of either BrdU or [3H]thymidine. Seven days after BrdU administration most labelled cells were in the walls (ventricular zone; VZ) of the lateral ventricles, particularly close to the sulcal zones. Labelled cells in the VZ of other ventricles were practically absent. Following 30 days, labelled cells outside the VZ were seen in most telencephalic regions: olfactory bulbs (OB), medial, dorsal, and lateral cortices (MC, DC, LC), anterior dorsal ventricular ridge (ADVR), nucleus sphericus (NS), and striatum (St). Electron microscopic examination of [3H]thymidine labelled cells found in these areas revealed their neuronal identity. No labelled neurons were detected in the dorsomedial cerebral cortex (DMC), septum (Sp), or elsewhere in the telencephalon. We conclude that neurogenesis occur in most regions of the adult lizard telencephalon. The most intense neuronal production occurs in the MC. Other telencephalic regions, such as the OB, ADVR, and NS, also show a considerable rate of adult neurogenesis. We infer from our results that the new neurons are born in the walls of the lateral ventricles and then migrate to their destinations. Furthermore, we report some evidence suggesting that neurons formed in adulthood in the olfactory bulbs are generated in the distant proliferative VZ. The functional significance of neurogenesis in the telencephalon of adult lizards is unclear, but it seems to be restricted to areas that have been implicated in olfactory plasticity, learning, and memory.