J. Neurosci. 29, 14484–14495 (2009)

Neuroscientists have generally assumed that there is little difference in how adult rats and mice regulate the generation of new brain cells. But a study by Jason Snyder and his colleagues at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, reveals that rats are much more likely to recruit new neurons during learning than mice.

The researchers also showed that adult rat brains contain more young neurons than adult mouse brains, and that these cells mature much faster. In addition, more new neurons are activated in rats during memory tasks. These findings could resolve inconsistencies in the literature about rodent neurogenesis.