title: The differential requirement of mushroom body α/β subdivisions in long-term memory retrieval in Drosophila.
abstract: The mushroom body (MB), a bilateral brain structure possessing about 2000-2500 neurons per hemisphere, plays a central role in olfactory learning and memory in Drosophila melanogaster. Extensive studies have demonstrated that three major types of MB neurons (α/β, α'/β' and Γ) exhibit distinct functions in memory processing, including the critical role of approximately 1000 MB α/β neurons in retrieving long-term memory. Inspired by recent findings that MB α/β neurons can be further divided into three subdivisions (surface, posterior and core) and wherein the α/β core neurons play an permissive role in long-term memory consolidation, we examined the functional differences of all the three morphological subdivisions of MB α/β by temporally precise manipulation of their synaptic outputs during long-term memory retrieval. We found the normal neurotransmission from a combination of MB α/β surface and posterior neurons is necessary for retrieving both aversive and appetitive long-term memory, whereas output from MB α/β posterior or core subdivision alone is dispensable. These results imply a specific requirement of about 500 MB α/β neurons in supporting long-term memory retrieval and a further functional partitioning for memory processing within the MB α/β region.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Pengzhi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Lianzhang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D057567:Memory, Long-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D024521:Mushroom Bodies / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C557617:GAL4 protein, Drosophila; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases