Seasonal differences in ventricular proliferation of adult Gallotia galloti lizards.

Lizards present neuronal production throughout the telencephalon in their adult state, both naturally and after experimentally induced brain lesions. As in birds, lizards present seasonal behavioural variations. In birds, such variations have been shown to alter neuronal production. In birds and mammals, lack of stimuli or exposure to stress interferes with adult neurogenetic capacity. The effect of this type of study has not been performed with lizards. In the present study we used bromodeoxyuridine to label dividing cells in the ventricular walls of Gallotia galloti lizards during all four seasons and we investigated the effect of captivity on such proliferation. We found that G. galloti …