A new group-training procedure for habituation demonstrates that presynaptic glutamate release contributes to long-term memory in Caenorhabditis elegans.
In the experiments reported here we have developed a new group-training protocol for assessing long-term memory for habituation in Caenorhabditis elegans. We have replicated all of the major findings of the original single-worm protocol using the new protocol: (1) distributed training produced long-term retention of training, massed training did not; (2) distributed training at long interstimulus intervals (ISIs) produced long-term retention, short ISIs did not; and (3) long-term memory for distributed training is protein synthesis-dependent as it could be blocked by heat shock during the inter-block interval. In addition, we have shown that long-term memory for habituation is graded, depending on the number of blocks of stimuli in training. The inter-block interval must be >40 min for long-term retention of training to occur. Finally, we have tested long-term memory for habituation training in a strain of worms with a mutation in a vesicular glutamate transporter in the sensory neurons that transduce tap (eat-4). The results from these eat-4 worms indicate that glutamate release from the sensory neurons has an important role in the formation of long-term memory for habituation.
Rose
Jacqueline K
JK
Department of Psychology and Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Kaun
Karla R
KR
Rankin
Catharine H
CH
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology
D018698:Glutamic Acid