DOI: 10.36347/sjavs.2019.v06i03.003

Pages: 84-91

The Mugil Cephalus fish is widely spread all over the world, but there is little knowledge about brain development in this kind of fish. In this study, we showed the histological observations by general and histochemical staining procedures as well as, GFAP, PPARα, PPARγ and ki67 immunohistochemistry. We considered brain development at three months, eight months and fifteen months of age. The forebrain formed from two large elongated olfactory lobes; they connected by olfactory tract with the corresponding cerebrum. The diencephalon present under the telencephalon, it composed from epithalamus, thalamus, and hypothalamus. The epithalamus contained pineal gland which its lumen opened in the third ventricle. The thalamus found beside the mesencephalon around the third ventricle and contained several nuclei the most prominent one was the nucleus granulosus. The hypothalamus formed from the pituitary gland, inferior lobes and saccus vasculossus they found under the third ventricle. The mesencephalon contained two sizeable optic tectum and two torus longitudinalis. The torus longitudinalis reach complete development at the age of eight months. The most characteristic thing in the brain of Mugil cephalus was persistent neurogenesis which occurred at the level of tectal ventricle under the optic tectum; this neurogenesis became more evident at the age of fifteen months. There was a positive reaction between optic tectum and tectal ventricle to GFAP, PPARα, PPARγ, and ki67.