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Selective suppression and recall of long-term memories in Drosophila

Dominique Siegenthaler1, Benjamin Escribano1, Vanessa Bräuler1

  • 1Division of Neurobiology and Zoology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Plos Biology
|August 28, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Researchers developed a new tool to tag memory engrams in fruit flies. This tool helps identify specific neurons involved in long-term memory, offering insights into memory storage mechanisms.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Adaptive decision-making relies on forming new memories.
  • The Drosophila mushroom body (MB) is crucial for storing olfactory long-term memories (LTM).
  • Sparse neural representations in Kenyon cells (KCs) hinder genetic access to individual LTMs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a genetic tool for labeling memory engrams in Drosophila KCs.
  • To investigate the cellular basis of LTM storage in the MB.
  • To explore the role of specific KC populations in memory recall.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a cAMP response element (CRE)-activity-dependent memory engram label (CAMEL) tool.
  • Utilizing protein-synthesis-dependent aversive LTM conditioning in Drosophila.
  • Employing optogenetic techniques to manipulate CAMEL-labeled neurons.

Main Results:

  • CAMEL successfully tags KCs activated by the conditioned stimulus (CS) during LTM formation.
  • CAMEL activity correlates with CRE binding protein 2 (CREB2) activity during memory formation.
  • Inhibiting CAMEL neurons impairs memory expression, while optogenetic reactivation elicits memory recall behavior.

Conclusions:

  • CAMEL neurons mark a subset of engram KCs encoding individual memories.
  • This study provides a method to access and study LTM engrams at the cellular level.
  • Findings offer insights into memory circuitry organization and LTM storage mechanisms.

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