A neuropeptide signal confers ethanol state dependency during olfactory learning in Caenorhabditis elegans

Alcohol intoxication can impact learning and this may contribute to the development of problematic alcohol use. In alcohol (ethanol)-induced state-dependent learning (SDL), information learned while an animal is intoxicated is recalled more effectively when the subject is tested while similarly intoxicated than if tested while not intoxicated. When Caenorhabditis elegans undergoes olfactory learning (OL) while intoxicated, the learning becomes state dependent such that recall of OL is only apparent if the animals are tested while intoxicated. We found that two genes known to be required for signal integration, the secreted peptide HEN-1 and its receptor tyrosine kinase, SCD-2, are required for SDL. Expression of hen-1 in the ASER neuron and scd-2 in the AIA neurons was sufficient for their functions in SDL. Optogenetic activation of ASER in the absence of ethanol during learning could confer ethanol state dependency, indicating that ASER activation is sufficient to signal ethanol intoxication to the OL circuit. To our surprise, ASER activation during testing did not substitute for ethanol intoxication, demonstrating that the effects of ethanol on learning and recall rely on distinct signals. Additionally, intoxication-state information could be added to already established OL, but state-dependent OL did not lose state information when the intoxication signal was removed. Finally, dopamine is required for state-dependent OL, and we found that the activation of ASER cannot bypass this requirement. Our findings provide a window into the modulation of learning by ethanol and suggest that ethanol acts to modify learning using mechanisms distinct from those used during memory access.