Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action01:26

Neurochemical Transmission: Sites of Drug Action

2.3K
Neurochemical transmission, the conduction of electrical impulses between neurons mediated by neurotransmitters, plays a vital role in various physiological processes. Autonomic drugs exert their effects by modulating neurotransmission within the autonomic nervous system. For instance, drugs such as hemicholinium block the precursor uptake necessary for synthesizing acetylcholine, an essential autonomic neurotransmitter. Following synthesis, neurotransmitters are stored in vesicles. Metyrosine...
2.3K
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters01:29

Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters

9.9K
When an action potential reaches the presynaptic axon terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from the neuron into the synaptic cleft at a chemical synapse. The released neurotransmitter can be excitatory or inhibitory. The critical criteria commonly used to determine whether a molecule is a neurotransmitter at a chemical synapse are the molecule's presence in the presynaptic neuron. Second, its release is in response to strong presynaptic depolarization. And lastly, the presence of...
9.9K
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Release or Uptake01:21

Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Release or Uptake

1.1K
Certain drugs can affect how neurotransmitters called catecholamines, are released or taken back up in the adrenergic neuron. They can have different effects on the body's sympathetic transmission. Reserpine, a natural compound found in the Rauwolfia shrub, blocks a transporter called vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT), which leads to a buildup of catecholamines in the cell and reduces sympathetic transmission. Another drug called guanethidine works in multiple ways, including blocking...
1.1K
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism01:30

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

2.2K
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
2.2K
Indirect-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Pharmacological Actions01:30

Indirect-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Pharmacological Actions

670
Indirect-acting cholinergic agonists, also known as anticholinesterases, exert their pharmacological effects by enhancing cholinergic transmission in various body parts, including the neuromuscular junction, autonomic cholinergic synapses, and the brain.
At the neuromuscular junction, these agents work by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine, allowing it to remain bound to the receptor and bind to nearby receptors. This process leads to repetitive firing of the endplate, causing muscle...
670
Instinctive Drift01:05

Instinctive Drift

216
Instinctive drift refers to the tendency of animals to revert to their innate behaviors despite repeated reinforcement. Breland and Breland demonstrated this concept in an experiment with a raccoon. The raccoon was trained to pick up two coins and place them in a container in exchange for food. Initially, the raccoon learned to associate the coins with food, making them a conditioned stimulus or a substitute for food. However, over time, the raccoon became less willing to put the coins into the...
216

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A high-throughput and sensitive method for food preference assays in the argentine ant.

Pest management science·2025
Same author

High variability in the attractiveness of municipally-planted decorative plants to insects.

PeerJ·2024
Same author

Ants combine object affordance with latent learning to make efficient foraging decisions.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2023
Same author

Ants prefer the option they are trained to first.

The Journal of experimental biology·2022
Same author

Conflict interference in an insect.

Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)·2021
Same author

Hard limits to cognitive flexibility: ants can learn to ignore but not avoid pheromone trails.

The Journal of experimental biology·2021

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 1, 2025

Aversive Associative Learning and Memory Formation by Pairing Two Chemicals in Caenorhabditis elegans
07:17

Aversive Associative Learning and Memory Formation by Pairing Two Chemicals in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: June 23, 2022

2.4K

Invasive ant learning is not affected by seven potential neuroactive chemicals.

Henrique Galante1, Tomer J Czaczkes1

  • 1Department of Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, Animal Comparative Economics Laboratory, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.

Current Zoology
|March 13, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Neuroactive chemicals did not affect Argentine ant learning. These invasive ants are strong learners, but tested compounds like caffeine and nicotine showed no impact on their spatial or olfactory learning abilities.

Keywords:
associative learningcaffeinememoryneuroactive chemicals

More Related Videos

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants
05:46

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Published on: October 5, 2018

8.3K
Neuropharmacological Manipulation of Restrained and Free-flying Honey Bees, Apis mellifera
11:08

Neuropharmacological Manipulation of Restrained and Free-flying Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

Published on: November 26, 2016

9.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 1, 2025

Aversive Associative Learning and Memory Formation by Pairing Two Chemicals in Caenorhabditis elegans
07:17

Aversive Associative Learning and Memory Formation by Pairing Two Chemicals in Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: June 23, 2022

2.4K
Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants
05:46

Visual Classical Conditioning in Wood Ants

Published on: October 5, 2018

8.3K
Neuropharmacological Manipulation of Restrained and Free-flying Honey Bees, Apis mellifera
11:08

Neuropharmacological Manipulation of Restrained and Free-flying Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

Published on: November 26, 2016

9.9K

Area of Science:

  • Entomology
  • Neurobiology
  • Invasive Species Management

Background:

  • Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) are a globally significant invasive species.
  • Cognitive manipulation, like altering learning, could enhance pest control strategies.
  • Plants use neuroactive compounds to affect insect learning; this is less studied in ants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of seven neuroactive chemicals on the cognitive abilities of invasive Argentine ants.
  • To determine if caffeine, nicotine, dopamine, octopamine, β-alanine, GABA, or taurine impact spatial or olfactory learning in L. humile.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized bifurcation mazes to test the spatial learning of Argentine ants.
  • Administered seven potential neuroactive chemicals: caffeine, nicotine, dopamine, octopamine, β-alanine, GABA, and taurine.
  • Assessed short-term effects on spatial and olfactory learning.

Main Results:

  • Argentine ants demonstrated strong associative learning, forming associations after a single experience.
  • None of the tested chemicals showed a short-term effect on spatial learning.
  • Caffeine did not affect short-term olfactory learning in these ants.

Conclusions:

  • The tested neuroactive chemicals did not impair or enhance short-term cognitive functions in Argentine ants.
  • The lack of effect contrasts with findings in bees, suggesting potential differences in neurochemistry or research biases.
  • Further research is needed to understand the neurobiology of invasive ants and potential management applications.