Caenorhabditis elegans learning in a structured maze is a multisensory behavior

iScience

Anne Goettemoeller¹  Kavya Adiga²  Ao-Lin Hsu³  Chieh Chen⁴  Eleni Gourgou⁵ 

[1] Corresponding author;Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 41809, USA;Palliative Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 41809, USA;;Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics &Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;

关键词: Behavioral Neuroscience;    Biological Sciences;    Neuroscience;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Summary: We show that C. elegans nematodes learn to associate food with a combination of proprioceptive cues and information on the structure of their surroundings (maze), perceived through mechanosensation. By using the custom-made Worm-Maze platform, we demonstrate that C. elegans young adults can locate food in T-shaped mazes and, following that experience, learn to reach a specific maze arm. C. elegans learning inside the maze is possible after a single training session, it resembles working memory, and it prevails over conflicting environmental cues. We provide evidence that the observed learning is a food-triggered multisensory behavior, which requires mechanosensory and proprioceptive input, and utilizes cues about the structural features of nematodes' environment and their body actions. The CREB-like transcription factor and dopamine signaling are also involved in maze performance. Lastly, we show that the observed aging-driven decline of C. elegans learning ability in the maze can be reversed by starvation.

【 授权许可】

Unknown