Retrograde amnesia in praying mantis after two successive learning processes.
Learning and memory consolidation was investigated in the mantis Stagmatoptera biocellata, by two successive trainings: a) the attack (A) avoidance training in which animals were not allowed to catch a mobile star, followed by the deimatic reaction (DR) avoidance training of not displaying this defensive response, or b) DR-avoidance training followed by A-avoidance training. The results showed that the presence and the 1 of A-avoidance learning and DR-avoidance learning did not affect the learning of the other training. Total retention of A-avoidance memory was demonstrated when A-avoidance training was given first, whereas DR-avoidance memory was significantly lost (716%) when the DR-avoidance training was given first. The retroactive forgetting of DR-avoidance memory is considered as retrograde amnesia rather than retroactive memory inhibition because it depends on the activity during A-avoidance training (number of attacks) and not the quantity of A-avoidance learning. The magnitude of the amnesic effect due to this distracting activity in the A-avoidance training appears to be remarkably similar to that reported in a previous work using nitrogen-induced anoxia as the amnesic factor.
Zabala
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Departmento de Biología de Organismos, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela.
Maldonado
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D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009987:Orthoptera / Q000502:physiology*