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Histamine alters environmental place preference in planaria.
1Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, United States.
Neuroscience Letters
|May 5, 2019
Summary
Histamine, a known punisher in vertebrates, was tested for aversive effects in planaria. Results show planaria avoid areas associated with histamine, suggesting conserved behavioral responses to this chemical.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Invertebrate Behavior
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Histamine acts as a punisher in vertebrate models.
- Invertebrate responses to histamine's aversive effects are largely unexamined.
- Planaria exhibit place preferences for light when paired with certain psychoactive drugs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if planaria develop conditioned place aversions to histamine.
- To explore conserved behavioral responses between invertebrates and vertebrates.
Main Methods:
- Planaria were confined to a darkened side of a petri dish with histamine or freshwater.
- Behavior was assessed by measuring time spent in lighted vs. darkened areas.
- Motility assays were used to control for general activity changes.
Main Results:
- Planaria confined with histamine spent more time in the light compared to controls.
- This conditioned place aversion occurred in both individual and group tests.
- Histamine did not fully override the innate preference for darkness and had no effect on motility.
Conclusions:
- Planaria can develop conditioned place aversions to histamine.
- These findings suggest conserved behavioral effects of histamine across invertebrates and vertebrates.
- This adds to evidence for shared neurochemical mechanisms between planaria and vertebrates.
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