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A molluscan model system in the search for the engram
Ken Lukowiak1, Susan Sangha, Andi Scheibenstock
1Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1. lukowiak@ucalgary.ca
Journal of Physiology, Paris
|January 7, 2004
Summary
The pond snail
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Cell Biology
Background:
- A 3-neuron central pattern generator (CPG) controls aerial respiration in Lymnaea stagnalis.
- This behavior can be operantly conditioned, forming intermediate-term memory (ITM) or long-term memory (LTM).
- LTM requires gene expression and protein synthesis, while ITM requires only protein synthesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the specific site of long-term memory (LTM) formation and storage within the neural circuit.
- To investigate the role of the RPeD1 neuron's soma in LTM consolidation and retention.
Main Methods:
- Operant conditioning of aerial respiratory behavior in Lymnaea stagnalis.
- Soma ablation of the RPeD1 neuron in the 3-neuron CPG.
- Assessment of the circuit's capacity for learning, ITM, and LTM following RPeD1 soma ablation.
Main Results:
- Ablating the RPeD1 soma prevented LTM formation but allowed for ITM formation.
- LTM, once consolidated, persisted even after RPeD1 soma ablation.
- The RPeD1 soma is crucial for LTM formation and storage, but not for LTM retention.
Conclusions:
- The soma of the RPeD1 neuron is a critical site for the formation and storage of long-term memory.
- The RPeD1 soma is not required for the retention of already consolidated long-term memories.
- These findings suggest potential strategies for blocking memory forgetting.