Is there a correlation between hippocampal mossy fiber distribution and two-way avoidance performance in mice and rats?

The distribution of hippocampal mossy fiber terminals, visualized by means of Timm's silver sulfide stain, was determined morphometrically in a selected hippocampal region. Five inbred mouse strains and two rat strains were used, all of them characterized by genetically controlled differences in performing a two-way avoidance task (shuttle-box). Those rat and mouse strains known for low avoidance scores had significantly more mossy fiber terminals synapsing within or below the layer hippocampal pyramidal neurons.