纹状体（Striatum）为端脑皮层下的结构，参与运动协调、程序性学习、情绪控制以及喜恶刺激的应对，同时对高级的认知功能至关重要。许多神经退行性疾病与纹状体受损相关，如亨廷顿氏病（Huntington’s disease, HD）、帕金森综合征（Parkinson’s disease, PD）等，患病个体往往表现出纹状体中型多棘神经元（Medium spiny neuron, MSN）的大量丢失。对于成年个体纹状体神经发生的相关研究可为治疗神经退行性疾病提供实验基础，而目前研究较多的生物主要为啮齿类以及鸣禽。研究发现，成年雄性鸣禽纹状体X区（Area X）有大量中型多棘神经元添加，这种独特的神经发生模式或为人类神经退行性疾病治疗提供重要线索。

本实验将斑胸草雀（Zebra finches）、大鼠（Rats）和小鼠（Mouses）三种实验动物分为短时程组与长时程组，利用BrdU标记新生神经元，分别观察三种实验动物的成体神经发生热点区域以及新生神经元分化情况。通过比较成年鸣禽与啮齿类的小鼠和大鼠纹状体神经发生，从而明确纹状体神经发生的种属差异，为进一步揭示神经发生的意义以及神经发生的机制提供线索。

The Striatum, a subcortical forebrain structure, is involved in motor coordination, procedural learning, emotional control, and response to rewarding and aversive stimuli. It is also crucial to higher cognitive functions. Several neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's disease (HD), Parkinson's disease (PD), etc, are associated with injury to the striatum. The patients often suffer significant loss of medium spiny neurons (MSN) in the striatum. The study of striatal neurogenesis in adult individuals can provide an experimental basis for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the organisms currently studied are mainly rodents and songbirds, not humans. We learned that a large number of medium spiny neurons were added in the area X of the striatum of adult male songbirds, and this unique pattern of neurogenesis may provide important clues for the treatment of human neurodegenerative diseases.

In this study, three experimental animals (Zebra finches, Rats, and mice ) were divided into both short-term and long-term groups, with their new neurons labeled with BrdU which  enables observation of the hotspots of adult neurogenesis and the differentiation of new neurons in these three animals, respectively. Comparing striatal neurogenesis between adult songbirds and rodent mice and rats, we attempt to clarify the species differences of striatal neurogenesis and provide clues for further revealing the significance of neurogenesis and the mechanism of neurogenesis.