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Shell damage leads to enhanced memory formation in Lymnaea.
Erin Swinton1, Cayley Swinton1, Ken Lukowiak2
1Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 4N1.
The Journal of Experimental Biology
|August 22, 2019
Summary
Shell damage in pond snails enhances long-term memory (LTM) formation. This stressor enables LTM after one training session, even days later, and allows young snails to learn.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Ecology
Background:
- Ecologically relevant stressors can impact cognitive functions like memory formation in aquatic organisms.
- The pond snail, *Lymnaea stagnalis*, is a model organism for studying memory mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of environmentally relevant stressors, specifically shell damage, on long-term memory (LTM) formation in *Lymnaea stagnalis*.
- To determine the temporal window and conditions under which shell damage influences LTM.
Main Methods:
- Inducing shell damage (shell clip) in adult and juvenile pond snails at varying times before a single or double training session (TS).
- Assessing LTM formation after operant conditioning.
- Investigating mitigation strategies for the stress response, including high-calcium environments, propranolol, and DNA methylation blockers.
Main Results:
- A single shell clip 24 hours before training significantly enhanced LTM formation, reducing the typical requirement of two training sessions.
- Memory enhancement persisted even when the shell clip occurred 72 hours before training.
- The stress-induced enhancement was mitigated by continuous high-calcium water, propranolol injection, and DNA methylation blockers, but not by anesthesia or intermittent high-calcium exposure.
- Shell clipping induced the capacity for LTM formation in juvenile snails that normally do not learn.
Conclusions:
- Environmentally relevant shell damage acts as a potent stressor that enhances LTM formation in *Lymnaea stagnalis*.
- This stress-induced memory enhancement can occur over extended periods and in naive individuals, highlighting the significant impact of ecological stressors on cognitive plasticity.
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