Abstract :
Are there neuroanatomical explanations for interindividual variation in behavior? Open field behavior, attention to novelty, response flexibility, and rat reasoning were measured in thirty-nine adult male Long-Evans rats. After behavioral assessment, brain weight, cerebral hemisphere volume, cerebral cortex volume, cerebral cortex neuron number, and cerebral cortex neuron density were measured and compared to behavioral performance.
Only non-significant correlations were found for the behavioral measures and cerebral cortical neuron number and neuron density. Cerebral cortex neuron number and neuron density may not be important determinants of interindividual differences for these behaviors in the rat. The measured behaviors do appear to be influenced by a general cognitive factor and by brain weight. The biological basis of the previously observed behavior-brain weight relationship remains undetermined.
