Long-term memory survives nerve injury and the subsequent regeneration process.
A three-neuron network (a central pattern generator [CPG]) is both sufficient and necessary to generate aerial respiratory behavior in the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. Aerial respiratory behavior is abolished following a specific nerve crush that results in axotomy to one of the three CPG neurons, RPeD1. Functional regeneration of the crushed neurite occurs within 10 days, allowing aerial respiratory behavior to be restored. Functional regeneration does not occur if the connective is cut rather than crushed. In unaxotomized snails, aerial respiratory behavior can be operantly conditioned, and following memory consolidation, long-term memory (LTM) persists for at least 2 weeks. We used the Lymnaea model system to determine (1) If in naive animals axotomy and the subsequent regeneration result in a nervous system that is competent to mediate associative learning and LTM, and (2) if LTM survives RPeD1 axotomy and the subsequent regenerative process. We show here that (1) A regenerated nervous system is competent to mediate associative memory and LTM, and (2) LTM survives axotomy and the subsequent regenerative process.
Lukowiak
Ken
K
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, and Neuroscience and Respiratory Research Groups, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1. lukowiak@ucalgary.ca
Haque
Zara
Z
Spencer
Gaynor
G
Varshay
Nishi
N
Sangha
Susan
S
Syed
Naweed
N
D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D019771:Axotomy; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology; D008195:Lymnaea; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D012119:Respiration