Based on previous evidence that environmental enrichment is associated with telencephalic cellular proliferation and that stable visuotopic tectal circuits are essential for discrimination of placement and identity of stationary or moving objects in the visual field, differential plasticity is expected in these areas. Here we tested this hypothesis in the Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare), a species of ornamental fish with great value in the aquarist trade. We hypothesized that total telencephalic cell number would increase under the influence of an enriched environment whereas the tectal cell number would not change. To test this hypothesis, 12 aquaria of 80 l each were used, with six fish in each. The aquaria had either an enriched environment (EE) including stones, plants, sand and the presence of another fish from the Loricariidae family for interspecific social interaction, or an impoverished environment (IE), in which stimuli were limited to intraspecific interactions in a barren aquarium. After 62 days, six fish from each treatment were euthanized, and their brains were fixed and sectioned for Nissl staining. Then, stereological estimates of the total number of cells were performed. The fish showed no differences in weight gain, feed conversion ratio, condition factor, specific growth rate or survival. Animals kept in the enriched environment had a higher number of total telencephalic cells than animals kept in the impoverished environment (1,038,555 ± 65,357 vs. 758,331 ± 51,587, bilateral t-test, p = 0.008), but a similar number of tectal optical cells (EE 424,097 ± 29,914 vs. IE 471,409 ± 50,850, bilateral t-test, p = 0.445752). We concluded that cell proliferation in response to stimulation by the enriched environment is differentially expressed in the telencephalon and tectal areas of Pterophyllum scalare.

中文翻译：

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环境富集增加了神仙鱼（Pterophyllum scalare）的端脑但不增加 tectal 细胞的数量：使用光学分馏器的探索性研究

根据先前的证据表明，环境富集与端脑细胞增殖有关，并且稳定的视觉 tectal 电路对于区分视野中静止或移动物体的放置和身份至关重要，预计这些区域具有不同的可塑性。在这里，我们在神仙鱼 (Pterophyllum scalare) 中测试了这一假设，这是一种在水族贸易中具有重要价值的观赏鱼。我们假设总的端脑细胞数会在丰富环境的影响下增加，而 tectal 细胞数不会改变。为了验证这一假设，使用了 12 个水族箱，每个水族箱 80 升，每个鱼缸 6 条。水族馆要么拥有丰富的环境 (EE)，包括石头、植物、沙子和来自 Loricariidae 科的另一条鱼的存在，用于种间社会互动，或贫困环境 (IE)，其中刺激仅限于贫瘠水族馆中的种内互动。62 天后，每个处理的 6 条鱼被安乐死，它们的大脑被固定并切片进行 Nissl 染色。然后，进行细胞总数的体视估计。鱼在体重增加、饲料转化率、条件因素、特定生长率或存活率方面没有差异。饲养在富集环境中的动物的端脑细胞总数高于饲养在贫困环境中的动物（1,038,555 ± 65,357 vs. 758,331 ± 51,587，双边 t 检验，p = 0.008），但顶盖光学细胞的数量相似（ EE 424,097 ± 29,914 与 IE 471,409 ± 50,850，双边 t 检验，p = 0.445752）。我们得出结论，响应丰富环境刺激的细胞增殖在 Pterophyllum scalare 的端脑和 tectal 区域中差异表达。