title: Compartmentation of the cerebellar cortex in the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber).
abstract: Despite the apparent uniformity in cellular composition of the adult mammalian cerebellar cortex, it is actually highly compartmentalized into transverse zones and within each zone further subdivided into a reproducible array of parasagittal stripes. This basic cerebellar architecture is highly conserved in birds and mammals. However, different species have very different cerebellar morphologies, and it is unclear if cerebellar architecture reflects taxonomic relations or ecological niches. To explore this, we have examined the cerebellum of the naked mole-rat Heterocephalus glaber, a burrowing rodent with adaptations to a subterranean life that include only a rudimentary visual system. The cerebellum of H. glaber resembles that of other rodents with the remarkable exception that cerebellar regions that are prominent in the handling of visual information (the central zone, nodular zone, and dorsal paraflocculus) are greatly reduced or absent. In addition, there is a notable increase in size in the posterior zone, consistent with an expanded role for the trigeminal somatosensory system. These data suggest that cerebellar architecture may be substantially modified to serve a particular ecological niche.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Genes and Development Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive N.W., Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Marzban
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hoy
authors.forename: Tooka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aavani
authors.forename: Diana K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Sarko
authors.forename: Kenneth C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Catania
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hawkes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D019577:Mole Rats / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D054799:Phospholipase C beta / Q000378:metabolism; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C071871:zebrin II; D054799:Phospholipase C beta