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Long-term sensitization training primes Aplysia for further learning
Evangelos G Antzoulatos1, Marcy L Wainwright, Leonard J Cleary
1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, W.M. Keck Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 77030, USA.
Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)
|July 19, 2006
Summary
Long-term sensitization (LTS) in Aplysia, induced by repetitive stimulation, primes the nervous system for future learning. Contralateral LTS training specifically creates a latent trace that enhances subsequent sensitization, indicating functional significance of bilateral changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Cellular Neuroscience
Background:
- Repetitive, unilateral stimulation of Aplysia causes long-term sensitization (LTS) of siphon-withdrawal reflexes.
- Morphological changes following training can be ipsilateral or bilateral.
- The functional relevance of contralateral morphological changes is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional significance of contralateral morphological modifications after long-term sensitization (LTS) training in Aplysia.
- To determine if LTS training primes the Aplysia nervous system for subsequent learning.
Main Methods:
- Aplysia were subjected to different training protocols: control, ipsilateral LTS, or contralateral LTS.
- Twenty-four hours after training, the effect of brief shock treatment (BST) on sensitization was assessed.
Main Results:
- BST failed to induce sensitization in control or ipsilaterally trained Aplysia.
- BST successfully sensitized Aplysia that had undergone contralateral LTS training.
- This suggests that contralateral LTS training establishes a latent trace priming for further learning.
Conclusions:
- Contralateral morphological modifications following LTS training have functional significance.
- Contralateral LTS training primes Aplysia for subsequent sensitization, indicating a latent learning trace.
- These findings highlight the importance of considering bilateral effects in understanding sensitization and learning in Aplysia.