Sociability, but not spatial memory, is correlated with regional brain volume variation in the striped mouse Rhabdomys spp.

Neves, Candice Nikita; Pillay, Neville

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113567

Cited by 4 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…In addition, neither amygdala volume nor hippocampus volume scaled with total brain volume (Neves & Pillay, 2022a), which may explain the lack of taxonlevel differences in relative anterior and posterior cerebrum volumes in this study. This suggests that sociality may play a role in the absolute sizes of key brain regions unrelated to body size, at least in so far as the regions are related to sociality (Neves & Pillay, 2022a). Indeed, absolute anterior and posterior volumes were larger in R. pumilio than R. dilectus, which may be a better indicator of the size of these key regions.…”

Section: The Social Brain Hypothesiscontrasting

confidence: 68%

“…Our results do not support our hypothesis of an association between environmental complexity, home range size and total endocranial and posterior volumes (but see Section 4.4) since the grassland taxa had smaller relative endocranial volumes but have larger home ranges (Schradin, 2005). There is conflicting evidence for differences in spatial cognition in the genus Rhabdomys (Mackay & Pillay, 2017; Neves & Pillay, 2022a). Mackay and Pillay (2017) found no differences in spatial cognition between R. pumilio and R. d. dilectus , whereas Neves and Pillay (2022a) found that R. pumilio completed a spatial maze faster and made fewer errors than both R. dilectus subspecies (Neves & Pillay, 2022a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…dilectus, whereas Neves and Pillay (2022a) found that R. pumilio completed a spatial maze faster and made fewer errors than both R. dilectus subspecies (Neves & Pillay, 2022a). Additionally, R. pumilio had larger hippocampus volumes than R. dilectus, although spatial cognitive variables do not correlate with hippocampus size (Neves & Pillay, 2022a).…”

Section: Environmental Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, R. dilectus females have the capacity to form groups under laboratory conditions but show high measures of corticosterone than R. pumilio females (Rimbach et al, 2022). Studies of spatial cognition in the taxa have found that spatial navigation ability did not differ between R. pumilio and R. d. dilectus in a short‐term (48 h) spatial memory task (Mackay & Pillay, 2017, but see Neves & Pillay, 2022a). In addition, the sexes do not differ in spatial navigation ability although males tended to travel further than females regardless of taxon (Mackay & Pillay, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the sexes do not differ in spatial navigation ability although males tended to travel further than females regardless of taxon (Mackay & Pillay, 2017). Rhabdomys pumilio has larger hippocampus and amygdala volumes than R. d. chakae and R. d. dilectus , both of which are correlated with amicability suggesting an influence of sociality on regional brain size (Neves & Pillay, 2022a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation in brain volume in nine populations and three taxa of the African striped mouse Rhabdomys

Neves

Pillay

2022

Journal of Morphology

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Brain size can vary between populations in different environments because of different selection pressures on behaviours, such as learning and memory, related to spatial, social and environmental differences. We investigated the variation in total and broad‐scale regional brain size in the murid rodent genus Rhabdomys from different environments. We assessed taxon‐, population‐ and sex‐level differences in total and regional brain volume in three populations each of three taxa (arid‐occurring Rhabdomys pumilio and mesic‐occurring Rhabdomys dilectus chakae and R. d. dilectus) originating across southern Africa. We μCT‐scanned crania obtained from museums in South Africa and used digital software to create endocasts and extract total endocranium and regional volumes: olfactory bulb, anterior cerebrum, posterior cerebrum, cerebellum volume and petrosal volume. Total endocranial volume scaled with basal skull length and all‐region volumes scaled with total endocranial volume. We found taxon‐, and population‐level differences in total endocranial volume. Relative anterior and posterior cerebrum volume did not differ significantly between taxa or populations, but relative cerebellum volume was larger in arid populations than mesic populations. Relative olfactory bulb volume was larger in mesic R. dilectus than in the R. pumilio, but petrosal lobule volume was larger in R. pumilio populations than in R. dilectus. Males had larger total endocranial volumes than females. Drivers of larger total endocranial volumes in R. pumilio are not immediately clear from our results. Environmental seasonality of food availability, cognitive buffering and locomotion may all correlate with total endocranial volume size, whereas the influence of sociality cannot be excluded. The environment and degree of semi‐arboreality are likely driving variation in cerebellum, olfactory bulb and petrosal lobule volumes.

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Section: The Social Brain Hypothesiscontrasting

confidence: 68%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation in brain volume in nine populations and three taxa of the African striped mouse Rhabdomys

Neves

Pillay

2022

Journal of Morphology

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Social recognition and short‐term memory in two taxa of striped mouse with differing social systems

Neves

Pillay

2022

J Exp Zool Pt A

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The ability to distinguish between familiar and strange conspecifics is important in group-living animals and influences the types of interactions between conspecifics.Social systems differ in sister taxa of the striped mouse genus Rhabdomys originating from different environments. Xeric-adapted R. pumilio displays facultative group-living whereas the mesic-adapted R. d. chakae is solitary. We assessed social recognition and attraction to strangers in females of two populations each of R. pumilio and R. d. chakae by means of a social discrimination task. We used a three-chamber apparatus developed in an established protocol and measured the latency of test females to approach and the duration of their investigation of stimulus females. Differences in social recognition of and preference for unfamiliar conspecifics in group-living and solitary-living taxa occurred at the taxon-level, even though constituent populations occurring kilometers apart showed similar responses. Females differed in the latency (testing phase) and duration of investigation (familiarization and testing phases) inter-specifically but not intra-specifically. Female R. pumilio approached stimulus females faster than female R. d. chakae. Female R. pumilio also investigated stimulus females for longer, regardless of stimulus type compared to R. d. chakae, but both taxa spent more time investigating familiar females than novel females and approached the familiar females faster than novel females. Social recognition, short-term memory, and social preference do not appear to differ between closely related taxa and differences in behavior between the two taxa might be related to inherent personality and social proclivity.

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Description and comparison of brain distribution of oxytocin receptors in Rhabdomys pumillio and Rhabdomys dilectus

Olazábal

Pillay

Sandberg

et al. 2023

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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Sociability, but not spatial memory, is correlated with regional brain volume variation in the striped mouse Rhabdomys spp.

Cited by 4 publications

References 75 publications

Variation in brain volume in nine populations and three taxa of the African striped mouse Rhabdomys

Variation in brain volume in nine populations and three taxa of the African striped mouse Rhabdomys

Social recognition and short‐term memory in two taxa of striped mouse with differing social systems

Description and comparison of brain distribution of oxytocin receptors in Rhabdomys pumillio and Rhabdomys dilectus

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