Olfactory conditioning of the sting extension reflex in honeybees: Memory dependence on trial number, interstimulus interval, intertrial interval, and protein synthesis.
Harnessed bees learn to associate an odorant with an electric shock so that afterward the odorant alone elicits the sting extension response (SER). We studied the dependency of retention on interstimulus interval (ISI), intertrial interval (ITI), and number of conditioning trials in the framework of olfactory SER conditioning. Forward ISIs (conditioned stimulus [CS] before unconditioned stimulus [US]) supported higher retention than a backward one (US before CS) with an optimum around 3 sec. Spaced trials (ITI 10 min) supported higher retention than massed trials (ITI 1 min) and led to the formation of a late long-term memory (l-LTM) that depended on protein synthesis. Our results reaffirm olfactory SER conditioning as a reliable tool for the study of learning and memory.
Giurfa
Martin
M
Université de Toulouse, UPS, Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France. giurfa@cict.fr
Fabre
Eve
E
Flaven-Pouchon
Justin
J
Groll
Helga
H
Oberwallner
Barbara
B
Vergoz
Vanina
V
Roussel
Edith
E
Sandoz
Jean Christophe
JC
D000818:Animals; D000841:Anisomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D009812:Odorants; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D012018:Reflex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D003609:Dactinomycin; D000841:Anisomycin