Depletion of serotonin selectively impairs short-term memory without affecting long-term memory in odor learning in the terrestrial slug Limax valentianus.
The terrestrial slug Limax is able to acquire short-term and long-term memories during aversive odor-taste associative learning. We investigated the effect of the selective serotonergic neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) on memory. Behavioral studies indicated that 5,7-DHT impaired short-term memory but not long-term memory. HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) analysis revealed that 5,7-DHT significantly reduced serotonin content in the central nervous system. The present study suggests that acquisition, retention, and/or retrieval of short-term memory involves serotonin, and neither acquisition nor retrieval of long-term memory requires serotonin at a level as high as that required for short-term memory.
Shirahata
Takaaki
T
Laboratory of Neurobiophysics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Tsunoda
Makoto
M
Santa
Tomofumi
T
Kirino
Yutaka
Y
Watanabe
Satoshi
S
D015116:5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017952:Ganglia, Invertebrate / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D018490:Serotonin Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D012903:Smell / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D018490:Serotonin Agents; D015116:5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine; D012701:Serotonin