Research reportHippocampal neurogenesis increase with stereotypic behavior in mink (Neovison vison)

We investigated the hypothesis that performance of abnormal behavior is a stress response concurrent with reduced cell formation in the hippocampal region of the brain, using groups of adult female American mink with high occurrence of stereotypic behavior (STEREO, n = 12), high occurrence of fur-chewing behavior (FURCHEW, n = 12), or without abnormal behavior (CONTROL, n = 12). Following repeated injections of Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) as a marker of dividing cells, animals were sacrificed and brain tissue fixated. After brain sectioning and a mink-adapted free-floating BrdU/NeuN doublestaining protocol, we counted the number of cells formed in the subgranular zone (SGZ) and the granular cell layer (GCL) of the dentate gyrus (DG) in the mink hippocampus. Results: (1) proliferation of cells in the SGZ and the GCL of the ventral hippocampal DG was demonstrated for the first time in adult mink, (2) with no significant difference between the experimental groups (CONTROL: 1509 (191.1); FURCHEW: 1377 (199.8); STEREO: 1968 (288.8); P = 0.18), (3) however, with a positive correlation between the amount of stereotypic behavior performed and the number of new hippocampal cells formed (P = 0.016). In conclusion, our results do not support that abnormal behavior in mink is concurrent with reduced hippocampal neurogenesis. On the contrary, cell proliferation increased with increasing performance of stereotypic behavior, being of an active/locomotory nature in mink.

► We study whether abnormal behavior associate with hippocampal cell proliferation. ► We compared adult stereotypic, fur-chewing and control mink females. ► Hippocampal cell proliferation was demonstrated for the first time in mink. ► Abnormal behavior was not associated with reduced cell proliferation in hippocampus. ► Number of new hippocampal cells increased with performance of stereotypic behavior.