Morphometric Studies Of The Cerebellum And Forebrain Of The African Giant Rat (Agr) (Cricetomys Gambianus, Waterhouse)

Abstract

Morphometric studies were undertaken using the brains of six African giant rats. The mean of weights and lengths (tip of the olfactory bulb to the caudal border of the cerebellum) were observed tobe 4.88  0.183g and 4.40  0.193g, respectively. Similarly, the mean weight and length of the cerebellum and the forebrain were fund to be 0.642  0.61g and 3.317+0.119g and 1.133+0.056cm and 2.75+0.1057cm. These values account for 13 and 68.4% and 23.90 and 57.09% of the total weight and length, respectively. The olfactory bulb accounts for 19.01% of the total brain length. Grossly, the olfactory bulb was observed to be large, this may facilitate many kinds of experimental procedures such as studies on the general neurobiology of olfaction. The low position of the rhinal sulcus restricts the paleocortex to a relatively small region (about one quarter of the total cerebral hemisphere). The surface of the cerebral cortex was observed to be smooth (lissencephalic).

Keywords: Morphometric, cerebellum, forebrain, African giant rat.

Tropical Veterinarian Vol. 23 (3 &4) 2005: pp. 87-92