Learning in honeybees: from molecules to behaviour

Studies in a variety of organisms as diverse as molluscs, insects, birds and mammals have shown that memories can exist in a variety of temporal domains ranging from short-term memories in the range of minutes to long-term memories lasting a lifetime. While transient covalent modifications of proteins underlie short-term memory, the formation of long-term memory requires gene expression and protein synthesis. Different intracellular signalling cascades have been implicated in distinct aspects of learning and memory formation. Little is known however, about how learning in intact animals is related to the modulation of these signalling cascades and how this contributes to distinct neuronal and behavioural changes in vivo. Associative learning in the honeybee provides the opportunity to study processes of memory formation by analysing its progression through different phases, across levels of behaviour, neural circuits, and cellular signalling pathways. The findings reveal evidence that various cellular signalling pathways in the neuronal circuit of distinct brain areas play a role in different processes during learning and memory formation.