title: Effects of ageing on visual discrimination learning in Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: Two experiments examined conditioned suppression of the Proboscis Extension Response (PER), unconditionally released by sucrose stimulation of gustatory tarsal receptors, in young (7-day-old), middle-aged (30-day-old) and old (50-day-old) Drosophila melanogaster males, reared at 25 degrees C. Individual flies were trained in a differential conditioning procedure in which a white stimulus signalled a quinine reinforcer, whereas a black stimulus was non-reinforced. When trained from the outset with the discriminative procedure, flies of all ages acquired the discrimination, although the acquisition of PER suppression to the white stimulus was retarded in middle-aged and old flies. The retardation of the acquisition of PER suppression in middle-aged and old flies was replicated in a second study in which the files received simple conditioning to the white stimulus prior to discrimination training.
authors.affiliation: Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fresquet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Médioni
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D014796:Visual Perception