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Romussi S, Giunti S, Andersen N, De Rosa MJ. C. elegans: a prominent platform for modeling and drug screening in neurological disorders. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2024; 19:565-585. [PMID: 38509691 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2024.2329103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Human neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases (NDevDs and NDegDs, respectively) encompass a broad spectrum of disorders affecting the nervous system with an increasing incidence. In this context, the nematode C. elegans, has emerged as a benchmark model for biological research, especially in the field of neuroscience. AREAS COVERED The authors highlight the numerous advantages of this tiny worm as a model for exploring nervous system pathologies and as a platform for drug discovery. There is a particular focus given to describing the existing models of C. elegans for the study of NDevDs and NDegDs. Specifically, the authors underscore their strong applicability in preclinical drug development. Furthermore, they place particular emphasis on detailing the common techniques employed to explore the nervous system in both healthy and diseased states. EXPERT OPINION Drug discovery constitutes a long and expensive process. The incorporation of invertebrate models, such as C. elegans, stands as an exemplary strategy for mitigating costs and expediting timelines. The utilization of C. elegans as a platform to replicate nervous system pathologies and conduct high-throughput automated assays in the initial phases of drug discovery is pivotal for rendering therapeutic options more attainable and cost-effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Romussi
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de Invertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), UNS-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Sebastián Giunti
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de Invertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), UNS-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
- Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Natalia Andersen
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de Invertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), UNS-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
- Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - María José De Rosa
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología de Invertebrados, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), UNS-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
- Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
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2
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Chiandetti C, Dissegna A, Rogers LJ, Turatto M. Unlocking the symmetric transfer of irrelevant information: gene-environment interplay and enhanced interhemispheric cross-talk. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20230267. [PMID: 37817575 PMCID: PMC10565360 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Hemispheric specialization influences stimulus processing and behavioural control, affecting responses to relevant stimuli. However, most sensory input is irrelevant and must be filtered out to prevent interference with task-relevant behaviour, a process known as habituation. Despite habituation's vital role, little is known about hemispheric specialization for this brain function. We conducted an experiment with domestic chicks, an elite animal model to study lateralization. They were exposed to distracting visual stimuli while feeding when using binocular or monocular vision. Switching the viewing eye after habituation, we examined if habituation was confined to the stimulated hemisphere or shared across hemispheres. We found that both hemispheres learned equally to ignore distracting stimuli. However, embryonic light stimulation, influencing hemispheric specialization, revealed an asymmetry in interhemispheric transfer of the irrelevant information discarded via habituation. Unstimulated chicks exhibited a directional bias, with the right hemisphere failing to transfer distracting stimulus information to the left hemisphere, while transfer from left to right was possible. Nevertheless, embryonic light stimulation counteracted this asymmetry, enhancing communication from the right to the left hemisphere and reducing the pre-existing imbalance. This sharing extends beyond hemisphere-specific functions and encompasses a broader representation of irrelevant events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Chiandetti
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via. A. Valerio 28/1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Andrea Dissegna
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Via. A. Valerio 28/1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Lesley J. Rogers
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
| | - Massimo Turatto
- CIMeC, Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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3
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Colwill RM, Lattal KM, Whitlow JW, Delamater AR. Habituation: It's not what you think it is. Behav Processes 2023; 207:104845. [PMID: 36805359 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we take a critical look at the methods used to document habituation and the theoretical assumptions that have been made about it. We point out problems associated with measuring habituation merely as a change over the course of repeated presentations of a stimulus. We argue that a common test procedure is essential to assess the relative magnitudes of habituation learning especially when different training procedures are examined. We further suggest that this would be required in order to draw meaningful conclusions about the conditions for optimizing habituation. We also challenge the view that habituation is nonassociative and consider the implications of various associative learning perspectives not only for context-specific habituation but for encoding a representation of the stimulus. We conclude with our recommendations for future research on habituation and we highlight the need to integrate behavioral and neurobiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth M Colwill
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic & Psychological Sciences, Brown University, United States.
| | - K Matthew Lattal
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, United States.
| | - J W Whitlow
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University - Camden, United States.
| | - Andrew R Delamater
- Psychology Department, Brooklyn College - City University of New York, United States.
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4
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Shark habituation to a food-related olfactory cue. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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5
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Faunce JA, Blumenthal TD, Waugh CE. Anxiety and initial value dependence in startle habituation. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14071. [PMID: 35415921 PMCID: PMC9539862 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Studies suggest that deficits in startle reflex habituation occur in trait and clinical anxiety. Measures of habituation are affected by the magnitude of the initial response, with larger initial responses predicting a steeper decline in response over repeated trials. This relationship between initial value and change, commonly called the Law of Initial Value or initial value dependence (IVD), has been partialled out as a covariate in habituation research, but variation in IVD may be informative in itself, reflecting differences in physiological reactivity. The present study explored how trait anxiety and contextual anxiety relate to habituation kinetics of the startle eyeblink response: initial value, linear habituation slope, and the relationship between them (IVD). Participants (n = 31; 15 Control, 16 Contextual Anxiety [CA]) were exposed to two blocks of acoustic startle stimuli, and CA participants were warned that they may receive an electrical shock to the wrist during block 2. Trait anxiety did not predict habituation slope, but it did predict a weaker IVD relationship, meaning that high initial startle magnitude was less predictive of a steep response decline in trait‐anxious subjects. Meanwhile, CA did not impact startle habituation or IVD. The results suggest that individual differences in trait anxiety are related to the relationship between initial physiological response magnitude and subsequent change in response. IVD in startle habituation may thus serve as a better biomarker of healthy emotional responding than startle habituation per se. Startle reflex habituation relates to emotion regulation, but this relationship may be more meaningful when habituation is considered in the context of initial reactivity, referred to as initial value dependence (IVD). IVD is related to trait anxiety, and may also predict the efficacy of emotion regulation more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jules Alex Faunce
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Terry D Blumenthal
- Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christian E Waugh
- Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
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6
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Wagner CM, Bals JD, Hanson ME, Scott AM. Attenuation and recovery of an avoidance response to a chemical antipredator cue in an invasive fish: implications for use as a repellent in conservation. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 10:coac019. [PMID: 35492423 PMCID: PMC9041352 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The detection of predation risk without direct engagement with a predator is an important driver of prey movement strategies. Consequently, the application of alarm cues may prove an effective tool in guiding the movements of fishes targeted for control or conservation. However, failure to contemplate the sensory, physiological and cognitive outcomes of repeated or persistent exposure to the cue will likely lead to poor performance of management practices. Using a series of behavioural tests and physiological recordings from the olfactory organ, we examined the timing of onset and recovery of the alarm response in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus L.) when exposed continuously or sporadically to its alarm cue. In the laboratory, sea lamprey exhibited short-term, reversible attenuation of the alarm response over 2-4 h with continuous exposure. The alarm response spontaneously recovered after 30-60 min of removal from the cue. In long-duration free-swimming tests, where the animals were allowed to move into and out of the odour plume volitionally, repeated but sporadic encounter with the alarm cue over 5 h did not alter the alarm response. Electro-olfactogram recordings from the main olfactory epithelium indicated that olfactory sensory neurons quickly adapt to alarm cue and recovered within 15 min. Our findings strongly implicate habituation as the mechanism that induces reduction in the alarm response and provide insight into the design of effective management practices that seek to use fish alarm cues as repellents.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Michael Wagner
- Corresponding author. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
| | | | | | - Anne M Scott
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
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7
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Marquez-Legorreta E, Constantin L, Piber M, Favre-Bulle IA, Taylor MA, Blevins AS, Giacomotto J, Bassett DS, Vanwalleghem GC, Scott EK. Brain-wide visual habituation networks in wild type and fmr1 zebrafish. Nat Commun 2022; 13:895. [PMID: 35173170 PMCID: PMC8850451 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28299-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Habituation is a form of learning during which animals stop responding to repetitive stimuli, and deficits in habituation are characteristic of several psychiatric disorders. Due to technical challenges, the brain-wide networks mediating habituation are poorly understood. Here we report brain-wide calcium imaging during larval zebrafish habituation to repeated visual looming stimuli. We show that different functional categories of loom-sensitive neurons are located in characteristic locations throughout the brain, and that both the functional properties of their networks and the resulting behavior can be modulated by stimulus saliency and timing. Using graph theory, we identify a visual circuit that habituates minimally, a moderately habituating midbrain population proposed to mediate the sensorimotor transformation, and downstream circuit elements responsible for higher order representations and the delivery of behavior. Zebrafish larvae carrying a mutation in the fmr1 gene have a systematic shift toward sustained premotor activity in this network, and show slower behavioral habituation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Marquez-Legorreta
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Lena Constantin
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Marielle Piber
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences, and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Itia A Favre-Bulle
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Michael A Taylor
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Ann S Blevins
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jean Giacomotto
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, West Moreton Hospital and Health Service, Wacol, QLD, 4076, Australia.,Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia.,Discovery Biology, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia
| | - Dani S Bassett
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.,Departments of Electrical & Systems Engineering, Physics & Astronomy, Neurology, Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.,Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, USA
| | - Gilles C Vanwalleghem
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia. .,Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Ethan K Scott
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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8
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Sakelaris BG, Li Z, Sun J, Banerjee S, Booth V, Gourgou E. Modelling learning in C. elegans chemosensory and locomotive circuitry for T-maze navigation. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:354-376. [PMID: 34894022 PMCID: PMC9269982 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recently, a new type of Caenorhabditis elegans associative learning was reported, where nematodes learn to reach a target arm in an empty T‐maze, after they have successfully located reward (food) in the same side arm of a similar, baited, training maze. Here, we present a simplified mathematical model of C. elegans chemosensory and locomotive circuitry that replicates C. elegans navigation in a T‐maze and predicts the underlying mechanisms generating maze learning. Based on known neural circuitry, the model circuit responds to food‐released chemical cues by modulating motor neuron activity that drives simulated locomotion. We show that, through modulation of interneuron activity, such a circuit can mediate maze learning by acquiring a turning bias, even after a single training session. Simulated nematode maze navigation during training conditions in food‐baited mazes and during testing conditions in empty mazes is validated by comparing simulated behaviour with new experimental video data, extracted through the implementation of a custom‐made maze tracking algorithm. Our work provides a mathematical framework for investigating the neural mechanisms underlying this novel learning behaviour in C. elegans. Model results predict neuronal components involved in maze and spatial learning and identify target neurons and potential neural mechanisms for future experimental investigations into this learning behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zongyu Li
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Jiawei Sun
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Shurjo Banerjee
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Victoria Booth
- Department of Mathematics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.,Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
| | - Eleni Gourgou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.,Institute of Gerontology, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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9
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Reiss AP, Rankin CH. Gaining an understanding of behavioral genetics through studies of foraging in Drosophila and learning in C. elegans. J Neurogenet 2021; 35:119-131. [PMID: 34151727 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2021.1928113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The pursuit of understanding behavior has led to investigations of how genes, the environment, and the nervous system all work together to produce and influence behavior, giving rise to a field of research known as behavioral neurogenetics. This review focuses on the research journeys of two pioneers of aspects of behavioral neurogenetic research: Dr. Marla Sokolowski and Dr. Catharine Rankin as examples of how different approaches have been used to understand relationships between genes and behavior. Marla Sokolowski's research is centered around the discovery and analysis of foraging, a gene responsible for the natural behavioral polymorphism of Drosophila melanogaster larvae foraging behavior. Catharine Rankin's work began with demonstrating the ability to learn in Caenorhabditis elegans and then setting out to investigate the mechanisms underlying the "simplest" form of learning, habituation. Using these simple invertebrate organisms both investigators were able to perform in-depth dissections of behavior at genetic and molecular levels. By exploring their research and highlighting their findings we present ways their work has furthered our understanding of behavior and contributed to the field of behavioral neurogenetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron P Reiss
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Catharine H Rankin
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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10
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Xu J, Casanave R, Guo S. Larval zebrafish display dynamic learning of aversive stimuli in a constant visual surrounding. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 28:228-238. [PMID: 34131054 PMCID: PMC8212779 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053425.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Balancing exploration and anti-predation are fundamental to the fitness and survival of all animal species from early life stages. How these basic survival instincts drive learning remains poorly understood. Here, using a light/dark preference paradigm with well-controlled luminance history and constant visual surrounding in larval zebrafish, we analyzed intra- and intertrial dynamics for two behavioral components, dark avoidance and center avoidance. We uncover that larval zebrafish display short-term learning of dark avoidance with initial sensitization followed by habituation; they also exhibit long-term learning that is sensitive to trial interval length. We further show that such stereotyped learning patterns is stimulus-specific, as they are not observed for center avoidance. Finally, we demonstrate at individual levels that long-term learning is under homeostatic control. Together, our work has established a novel paradigm to understand learning, uncovered sequential sensitization and habituation, and demonstrated stimulus specificity, individuality, as well as dynamicity in learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiale Xu
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California at San Francisico, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
| | - Romelo Casanave
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California at San Francisico, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
| | - Su Guo
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California at San Francisico, San Francisco, California 94158, USA.,Program in Human Genetics, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, USA.,Program in Biological Sciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94158, USA
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11
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Gourgou E, Adiga K, Goettemoeller A, Chen C, Hsu AL. Caenorhabditis elegans learning in a structured maze is a multisensory behavior. iScience 2021; 24:102284. [PMID: 33889812 PMCID: PMC8050377 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
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. C. elegans can be trained to reach a target arm in a T-shaped maze Learning requires the contribution of tactile and proprioceptive cues C. elegans follow a kind of response learning strategy in the maze environment Learning is short-term and sensitive to distraction
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Gourgou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 41809, USA
| | - Kavya Adiga
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 41809, USA
| | - Anne Goettemoeller
- Neuroscience Program, College of Literature, Science and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 41809, USA
| | - Chieh Chen
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, 112 Taiwan
| | - Ao-Lin Hsu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 41809, USA.,Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, 112 Taiwan.,Research Center for Healthy Aging and Institute of New Drug Development, China Medical University, Taichung, 404, Taiwan
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12
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Rankin CH. But can they learn? My accidental discovery of learning and memory in C. elegans. J Neurogenet 2021; 34:251-254. [DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2020.1833009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Catharine H. Rankin
- Department of Psychology and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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13
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Mauro M, Pérez-Arjona I, Perez EJB, Ceraulo M, Bou-Cabo M, Benson T, Espinosa V, Beltrame F, Mazzola S, Vazzana M, Buscaino G. The effect of low frequency noise on the behaviour of juvenile Sparus aurata. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 147:3795. [PMID: 32611157 DOI: 10.1121/10.0001255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities are causing increased noise levels in the marine environment. To date, few studies have been undertaken to investigate the effects of different noise frequencies on the behaviour of juvenile fish. In this study, the behavioural changes of juvenile gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) are evaluated when exposed to white noise filtered in third-octave bands centred at 63, 125, 500, and 1000 Hz (sound pressure level, 140-150 dB re 1 μΡa) for 7 h. The group dispersion, motility, and swimming height of the fish were analysed before and during the acoustic emission. Dispersion of the fish was found to reduce immediately upon application of low frequency sound (63 and 125 Hz) with a return to control condition after 2 h (indicative of habituation), whereas at 1 kHz, dispersion increased after 2 h without any habituation. The motility decreased significantly at 63 Hz throughout the 7 h of sound exposure. The swimming height decreased significantly for all frequencies other than 125 Hz. The results of this study highlight significant variations in the behavioural responses of juvenile fish that could have consequences on their fitness and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Mauro
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, Palermo, 90123, Italy
| | - Isabel Pérez-Arjona
- Universitat Politècnica de València, Campus de Gandia, C/Paranimf, 1-46730, Spain
| | | | - Maria Ceraulo
- BioacousticsLab, National Research Council UOS of Capo Granitola, Via del mare, Torretta Granitola, 3-91021, Italy
| | - Manuel Bou-Cabo
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), C. O. Murcia, San Pedro del Pinatar (Murcia), 1-30740, Spain
| | - Thomas Benson
- HR Wallingford, Howbery Park, Wallingford, OX10 8BA, United Kingdom
| | - Victor Espinosa
- Universitat Politècnica de València, Campus de Gandia, C/Paranimf, 1-46730, Spain
| | - Francesco Beltrame
- ENR, The Italian Institution for Research and Promotion of Standardization, Via Francesco Crispi, Palermo, 248-90139, Italy
| | - Salvatore Mazzola
- BioacousticsLab, National Research Council UOS of Capo Granitola, Via del mare, Torretta Granitola, 3-91021, Italy
| | - Mirella Vazzana
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, Palermo, 90123, Italy
| | - Giuseppa Buscaino
- BioacousticsLab, National Research Council UOS of Capo Granitola, Via del mare, Torretta Granitola, 3-91021, Italy
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14
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Byrne Rodgers J, Ryu WS. Targeted thermal stimulation and high-content phenotyping reveal that the C. elegans escape response integrates current behavioral state and past experience. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229399. [PMID: 32218560 PMCID: PMC7100941 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to avoid harmful or potentially harmful stimuli can help an organism escape predators and injury, and certain avoidance mechanisms are conserved across the animal kingdom. However, how the need to avoid an imminent threat is balanced with current behavior and modified by past experience is not well understood. In this work we focused on rapidly increasing temperature, a signal that triggers an escape response in a variety of animals, including the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We have developed a noxious thermal response assay using an infrared laser that can be automatically controlled and targeted in order to investigate how C. elegans responds to noxious heat over long timescales and to repeated stimuli in various behavioral and sensory contexts. High-content phenotyping of behavior in individual animals revealed that the C. elegans escape response is multidimensional, with some features that extend for several minutes, and can be modulated by (i) stimulus amplitude; (ii) other sensory inputs, such as food context; (iii) long and short-term thermal experience; and (iv) the animal's current behavioral state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarlath Byrne Rodgers
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - William S. Ryu
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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How Caenorhabditis elegans Senses Mechanical Stress, Temperature, and Other Physical Stimuli. Genetics 2019; 212:25-51. [PMID: 31053616 PMCID: PMC6499529 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.118.300241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans lives in a complex habitat in which they routinely experience large fluctuations in temperature, and encounter physical obstacles that vary in size and composition. Their habitat is shared by other nematodes, by beneficial and harmful bacteria, and nematode-trapping fungi. Not surprisingly, these nematodes can detect and discriminate among diverse environmental cues, and exhibit sensory-evoked behaviors that are readily quantifiable in the laboratory at high resolution. Their ability to perform these behaviors depends on <100 sensory neurons, and this compact sensory nervous system together with powerful molecular genetic tools has allowed individual neuron types to be linked to specific sensory responses. Here, we describe the sensory neurons and molecules that enable C. elegans to sense and respond to physical stimuli. We focus primarily on the pathways that allow sensation of mechanical and thermal stimuli, and briefly consider this animal’s ability to sense magnetic and electrical fields, light, and relative humidity. As the study of sensory transduction is critically dependent upon the techniques for stimulus delivery, we also include a section on appropriate laboratory methods for such studies. This chapter summarizes current knowledge about the sensitivity and response dynamics of individual classes of C. elegans mechano- and thermosensory neurons from in vivo calcium imaging and whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology studies. We also describe the roles of conserved molecules and signaling pathways in mediating the remarkably sensitive responses of these nematodes to mechanical and thermal cues. These studies have shown that the protein partners that form mechanotransduction channels are drawn from multiple superfamilies of ion channel proteins, and that signal transduction pathways responsible for temperature sensing in C. elegans share many features with those responsible for phototransduction in vertebrates.
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McDiarmid TA, Yu AJ, Rankin CH. Habituation Is More Than Learning to Ignore: Multiple Mechanisms Serve to Facilitate Shifts in Behavioral Strategy. Bioessays 2019; 41:e1900077. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Troy A. McDiarmid
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain HealthUniversity of British Columbia 2211 Wesbrook Mall Vancouver BC V6T 2B5 Canada
| | - Alex J. Yu
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain HealthUniversity of British Columbia 2211 Wesbrook Mall Vancouver BC V6T 2B5 Canada
| | - Catharine H. Rankin
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain HealthUniversity of British Columbia 2211 Wesbrook Mall Vancouver BC V6T 2B5 Canada
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of British Columbia 2136 West Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
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Ardiel EL, McDiarmid TA, Timbers TA, Lee KCY, Safaei J, Pelech SL, Rankin CH. Insights into the roles of CMK-1 and OGT-1 in interstimulus interval-dependent habituation in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.2084. [PMID: 30429311 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Habituation is a ubiquitous form of non-associative learning observed as a decrement in responding to repeated stimulation that cannot be explained by sensory adaptation or motor fatigue. One of the defining characteristics of habituation is its sensitivity to the rate at which training stimuli are presented-animals habituate faster in response to more rapid stimulation. The molecular mechanisms underlying this interstimulus interval (ISI)-dependent characteristic of habituation remain unknown. In this article, we use behavioural neurogenetic and bioinformatic analyses in the nematode Caenorhabiditis elegans to identify the first molecules that modulate habituation in an ISI-dependent manner. We show that the Caenorhabditis elegans orthologues of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinases CaMK1/4, CMK-1 and O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) transferase, OGT-1, both function in primary sensory neurons to inhibit habituation at short ISIs and promote it at long ISIs. In addition, both cmk-1 and ogt-1 mutants display a rare mechanosensory hyper-responsive phenotype (i.e. larger mechanosensory responses than wild-type). Overall, our work identifies two conserved genes that function in sensory neurons to modulate habituation in an ISI-dependent manner, providing the first insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the universally observed phenomenon that habituation has different properties when stimuli are delivered at different rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan L Ardiel
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2B5
| | - Troy A McDiarmid
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2B5
| | - Tiffany A Timbers
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2B5
| | - Kirsten C Y Lee
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2B5
| | - Javad Safaei
- Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia, 2366 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Steven L Pelech
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2775 Laurel Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5Z 1M9.,Kinexus Bioinformatics Corporation, Suite 1, 8755 Ash Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6P 6T3
| | - Catharine H Rankin
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 2B5 .,Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
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McDiarmid TA, Yu AJ, Rankin CH. Beyond the response-High throughput behavioral analyses to link genome to phenome in Caenorhabditis elegans. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 17:e12437. [DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T. A. McDiarmid
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health; University of British Columbia; Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - A. J. Yu
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health; University of British Columbia; Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - C. H. Rankin
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health; University of British Columbia; Vancouver British Columbia Canada
- Department of Psychology; University of British Columbia; Vancouver British Columbia Canada
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McDiarmid TA, Bernardos AC, Rankin CH. Habituation is altered in neuropsychiatric disorders-A comprehensive review with recommendations for experimental design and analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 80:286-305. [PMID: 28579490 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Abnormalities in the simplest form of learning, habituation, have been reported in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders as etiologically diverse as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Fragile X syndrome, Schizophrenia, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Tourette's Syndrome, and Migraine. Here we provide the first comprehensive review of what is known about alterations in this form of non-associative learning in each disorder. Across several disorders, abnormal habituation is predictive of symptom severity, highlighting the clinical significance of habituation and its importance to normal cognitive function. Abnormal habituation is discussed within the greater framework of learning theory and how it may relate to disease phenotype either as a cause, symptom, or therapy. Important considerations for the design and interpretation of habituation experiments are outlined with the hope that these will aid both clinicians and basic researchers investigating how this simple form of learning is altered in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy A McDiarmid
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Rm F221, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 2B5, Canada
| | - Aram C Bernardos
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Rm F221, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 2B5, Canada
| | - Catharine H Rankin
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Rm F221, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 2B5, Canada.
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20
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Abram PK, Cusumano A, Abram K, Colazza S, Peri E. Testing the habituation assumption underlying models of parasitoid foraging behavior. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3097. [PMID: 28321365 PMCID: PMC5357337 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Habituation, a form of non-associative learning, has several well-defined characteristics that apply to a wide range of physiological and behavioral responses in many organisms. In classic patch time allocation models, habituation is considered to be a major mechanistic component of parasitoid behavioral strategies. However, parasitoid behavioral responses to host cues have not previously been tested for the known, specific characteristics of habituation. METHODS In the laboratory, we tested whether the foraging behavior of the egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis shows specific characteristics of habituation in response to consecutive encounters with patches of host (Nezara viridula) chemical contact cues (footprints), in particular: (i) a training interval-dependent decline in response intensity, and (ii) a training interval-dependent recovery of the response. RESULTS As would be expected of a habituated response, wasps trained at higher frequencies decreased their behavioral response to host footprints more quickly and to a greater degree than those trained at low frequencies, and subsequently showed a more rapid, although partial, recovery of their behavioral response to host footprints. This putative habituation learning could not be blocked by cold anesthesia, ingestion of an ATPase inhibitor, or ingestion of a protein synthesis inhibitor. DISCUSSION Our study provides support for the assumption that diminishing responses of parasitoids to chemical indicators of host presence constitutes habituation as opposed to sensory fatigue, and provides a preliminary basis for exploring the underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul K Abram
- Université de Montréal, Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale, Montréal, Canada
| | - Antonino Cusumano
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.,Department of Entomology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Katrina Abram
- Université de Montréal, Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale, Montréal, Canada
| | - Stefano Colazza
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Ezio Peri
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Abstract
Studies on the cellular basis of learning and memory have revealed several distinct phases of memory that can be distinguished by their time course. In addition to the traditional short-term and long-term memory distinction, several other phases of memory have been identified: forms of intermediate-term memory, at least two seperable forms of long-term memory, and possibly several forms of short-term memory. This article presents the contributions made by research on phases of memory for habituation in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Through behavioral, neural circuit and genetic analyses of habituation, research using this simple organism has provided insights into different memory phases. Studying experience-dependent plasticity of this behavior has not only provided corroborating evidence for the existence of short-, intermediate-, and long-term forms of memory, as have been demonstrated in both Aplysia and Drosophila, but also has revealed the possible existence of multiple forms of short-term memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Steidl
- Department of Psychology and Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia
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Abstract
This review outlines research into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying a simple behavior in the soil-dwelling nematode, C. elegans. A tap administered to the side of a petri plate acts as a nonlocalized mechanical stimulus to the worms within. Most adult worms respond to this tap stimulus with backward locomotion, an action known as the tap-withdrawal response. This behavior has been thoroughly characterized and the neural circuit mediating it has been determined. The response habituates following repeated stimulation, and current work is aimed at elucidating the mechanism behind this simple form of nonassociative learning. Changes in cell excitability and the strength of glutamatergic synapses play key roles in mediating this plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan L Ardiel
- Brain Research Centre and Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
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Neo YY, Ufkes E, Kastelein RA, Winter HV, Ten Cate C, Slabbekoorn H. Impulsive sounds change European seabass swimming patterns: Influence of pulse repetition interval. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2015; 97:111-117. [PMID: 26088542 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2015] [Revised: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Seismic shootings and offshore pile-driving are regularly performed, emitting significant amounts of noise that may negatively affect fish behaviour. The pulse repetition interval (PRI) of these impulsive sounds may vary considerably and influence the behavioural impact and recovery. Here, we tested the effect of four PRIs (0.5-4.0s) on European seabass swimming patterns in an outdoor basin. At the onset of the sound exposures, the fish swam faster and dived deeper in tighter shoals. PRI affected the immediate and delayed behavioural changes but not the recovery time. Our study highlights that (1) the behavioural changes of captive European seabass were consistent with previous indoor and outdoor studies; (2) PRI could influence behavioural impact differentially, which may have management implications; (3) some acoustic metrics, e.g. SELcum, may have limited predictive power to assess the strength of behavioural impacts of noise. Noise impact assessments need to consider the contribution of sound temporal structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Y Neo
- Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, The Netherlands.
| | - E Ufkes
- Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - R A Kastelein
- Sea Mammal Research Company (SEAMARCO), Harderwijk, The Netherlands
| | - H V Winter
- Institute for Marine Resources & Ecosystem Studies (IMARES) IJmuiden, Wageningen UR, The Netherlands
| | - C Ten Cate
- Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - H Slabbekoorn
- Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology Leiden (IBL), Leiden University, The Netherlands
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24
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Lieke T, Steinberg CEW, Ju J, Saul N. Natural Marine and Synthetic Xenobiotics Get on Nematode's Nerves: Neuro-Stimulating and Neurotoxic Findings in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mar Drugs 2015; 13:2785-812. [PMID: 25955755 PMCID: PMC4446606 DOI: 10.3390/md13052785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2015] [Revised: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine algae release a plethora of organic halogenated compounds, many of them with unknown ecological impact if environmentally realistic concentrations are applied. One major compound is dibromoacetic acid (DBAA) which was tested for neurotoxicity in the invertebrate model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). This natural compound was compared with the widespread synthetic xenobiotic tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBP-A) found in marine sediments and mussels. We found a neuro-stimulating effect for DBAA; this is contradictory to existing toxicological reports of mammals that applied comparatively high dosages. For TBBP-A, we found a hormetic concentration-effect relationship. As chemicals rarely occur isolated in the environment, a combination of both organobromines was also examined. Surprisingly, the presence of DBAA increased the toxicity of TBBP-A. Our results demonstrated that organohalogens have the potential to affect single organisms especially by altering the neurological processes, even with promoting effects on exposed organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thora Lieke
- Department of Biology, Freshwater and Stress Ecology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Späthstr. 80/81, 12437 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Christian E W Steinberg
- Department of Biology, Freshwater and Stress Ecology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Späthstr. 80/81, 12437 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jingjuan Ju
- Department of Biology, Freshwater and Stress Ecology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Späthstr. 80/81, 12437 Berlin, Germany.
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Nadine Saul
- Department of Biology, Freshwater and Stress Ecology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Späthstr. 80/81, 12437 Berlin, Germany.
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25
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Beck CD, Rankin CH. Effects of aging on habituation in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Behav Processes 2014; 28:145-63. [PMID: 24897600 DOI: 10.1016/0376-6357(93)90088-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/06/1992] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The effects of aging on spontaneous locomotor behavior and habituation in a mechanosensory reflex were examined in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Worms were tested at 4 days (at the peak of egg laying), at 7 days (when egg laying ends) and at 12 days post-hatching. Both spontaneous and reflexive movements were smaller in older worms than in younger worms. In addition the magnitude of these movements was related to life span; the shorter an animal's life span, the smaller its reversal movements while still young. Worms at all ages expressed habituation and dishabituation at a 10 s interstimulus interval (ISI); thus even aged worms were capable of non-associative learning. However, older worms showed greater habituation than did 4-day-old worms to stimuli delivered at a 60 s ISI. There was also an age-related change in the recovery from habituation. At days 4 and 7, worms had recovered from habituation by 30 min after training; However, responses of day 12 worms were still significantly smaller than baseline at 30 min after training. Further behavioral tests with normal and mutant worms may help elucidate the nature of the age-related changes in the learning and memory processes of C. elegans and the genetic mechanisms which underlie them.
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Affiliation(s)
- C D Beck
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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26
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Alonso L, Moreno R, Vázquez M, Santacreu J. Simulation of the filtering role of habituation to stimuli. SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2014; 8:134-41. [PMID: 16255382 DOI: 10.1017/s1138741600005035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
In the context of a medium-term study designed to integrate the simulation of different types and processes of learning—such as classical, operant, and some cognitive types—one must start with other more elementary ones that are facilitators of the more complex types and processes. Of special interest is habituation, owing to the filtering out of irrelevant stimuli, which means that the simulated agent does not have to respond to them. This paper presents two difference functions constructed to computationally simulate the characteristics that define habituation. The behavior of these functions is described, as are differences arising from stimulus intensity and interstimulus intervals. Results are compared with existing empirical data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lola Alonso
- Departamento de Psicología de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Cyr A, Boukadoum M. Habituation: a non-associative learning rule design for spiking neurons and an autonomous mobile robots implementation. BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS 2013; 8:016007. [PMID: 23385344 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3182/8/1/016007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a novel bio-inspired habituation function for robots under control by an artificial spiking neural network. This non-associative learning rule is modelled at the synaptic level and validated through robotic behaviours in reaction to different stimuli patterns in a dynamical virtual 3D world. Habituation is minimally represented to show an attenuated response after exposure to and perception of persistent external stimuli. Based on current neurosciences research, the originality of this rule includes modulated response to variable frequencies of the captured stimuli. Filtering out repetitive data from the natural habituation mechanism has been demonstrated to be a key factor in the attention phenomenon, and inserting such a rule operating at multiple temporal dimensions of stimuli increases a robot's adaptive behaviours by ignoring broader contextual irrelevant information.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Cyr
- Computer Science Department, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Friman PC. HOW DO I KNOW THEE? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS: A REVIEW OF INVESTIGATIONS IN BEHAVIORAL EPISTEMOLOGY, EDITED BY LINDA J. HAYES AND PATRICK M. GHEZZI. J Appl Behav Anal 2013. [DOI: 10.1901/jaba.1998.31-709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Lau HL, Timbers TA, Mahmoud R, Rankin CH. Genetic dissection of memory for associative and non-associative learning inCaenorhabditis elegans. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2012; 12:210-23. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183x.2012.00863.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2012] [Revised: 08/30/2012] [Accepted: 09/22/2012] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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30
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RAMANATHAN KIRUTHIKA, NING NING, DHANASEKAR DHIVIYA, LI GUOQI, SHI LUPING, VADAKKEPAT PRAHLAD. PRESYNAPTIC LEARNING AND MEMORY WITH A PERSISTENT FIRING NEURON AND A HABITUATING SYNAPSE: A MODEL OF SHORT TERM PERSISTENT HABITUATION. Int J Neural Syst 2012; 22:1250015. [DOI: 10.1142/s0129065712500153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Our paper explores the interaction of persistent firing axonal and presynaptic processes in the generation of short term memory for habituation. We first propose a model of a sensory neuron whose axon is able to switch between passive conduction and persistent firing states, thereby triggering short term retention to the stimulus. Then we propose a model of a habituating synapse and explore all nine of the behavioral characteristics of short term habituation in a two neuron circuit. We couple the persistent firing neuron to the habituation synapse and investigate the behavior of short term retention of habituating response. Simulations show that, depending on the amount of synaptic resources, persistent firing either results in continued habituation or maintains the response, both leading to longer recovery times. The effectiveness of the model as an element in a bio-inspired memory system is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- KIRUTHIKA RAMANATHAN
- Data Storage Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A-STAR), 5 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117608, Singapore
| | - NING NING
- Data Storage Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A-STAR), 5 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117608, Singapore
| | - DHIVIYA DHANASEKAR
- Data Storage Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A-STAR), 5 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117608, Singapore
| | - GUOQI LI
- Data Storage Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A-STAR), 5 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117608, Singapore
| | - LUPING SHI
- Data Storage Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A-STAR), 5 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117608, Singapore
| | - PRAHLAD VADAKKEPAT
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576, Singapore
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Mathew MD, Mathew ND, Ebert PR. WormScan: a technique for high-throughput phenotypic analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33483. [PMID: 22457766 PMCID: PMC3311640 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2012] [Accepted: 02/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There are four main phenotypes that are assessed in whole organism studies of Caenorhabditis elegans; mortality, movement, fecundity and size. Procedures have been developed that focus on the digital analysis of some, but not all of these phenotypes and may be limited by expense and limited throughput. We have developed WormScan, an automated image acquisition system that allows quantitative analysis of each of these four phenotypes on standard NGM plates seeded with E. coli. This system is very easy to implement and has the capacity to be used in high-throughput analysis. Methodology/Principal Findings Our system employs a readily available consumer grade flatbed scanner. The method uses light stimulus from the scanner rather than physical stimulus to induce movement. With two sequential scans it is possible to quantify the induced phototactic response. To demonstrate the utility of the method, we measured the phenotypic response of C. elegans to phosphine gas exposure. We found that stimulation of movement by the light of the scanner was equivalent to physical stimulation for the determination of mortality. WormScan also provided a quantitative assessment of health for the survivors. Habituation from light stimulation of continuous scans was similar to habituation caused by physical stimulus. Conclusions/Significance There are existing systems for the automated phenotypic data collection of C. elegans. The specific advantages of our method over existing systems are high-throughput assessment of a greater range of phenotypic endpoints including determination of mortality and quantification of the mobility of survivors. Our system is also inexpensive and very easy to implement. Even though we have focused on demonstrating the usefulness of WormScan in toxicology, it can be used in a wide range of additional C. elegans studies including lifespan determination, development, pathology and behavior. Moreover, we have even adapted the method to study other species of similar dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Mathew
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia Campus, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Neal D. Mathew
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia Campus, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Paul R. Ebert
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia Campus, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail:
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32
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Amano H, Maruyama IN. Aversive olfactory learning and associative long-term memory in Caenorhabditis elegans. Learn Mem 2011; 18:654-65. [PMID: 21960709 DOI: 10.1101/lm.2224411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) adult hermaphrodite has 302 invariant neurons and is suited for cellular and molecular studies on complex behaviors including learning and memory. Here, we have developed protocols for classical conditioning of worms with 1-propanol, as a conditioned stimulus (CS), and hydrochloride (HCl) (pH 4.0), as an unconditioned stimulus (US). Before the conditioning, worms were attracted to 1-propanol and avoided HCl in chemotaxis assay. In contrast, after massed or spaced training, worms were either not attracted at all to or repelled from 1-propanol on the assay plate. The memory after the spaced training was retained for 24 h, while the memory after the massed training was no longer observable within 3 h. Worms pretreated with transcription and translation inhibitors failed to form the memory by the spaced training, whereas the memory after the massed training was not significantly affected by the inhibitors and was sensitive to cold-shock anesthesia. Therefore, the memories after the spaced and massed trainings can be classified as long-term memory (LTM) and short-term/middle-term memory (STM/MTM), respectively. Consistently, like other organisms including Aplysia, Drosophila, and mice, C. elegans mutants defective in nmr-1 encoding an NMDA receptor subunit failed to form both LTM and STM/MTM, while mutations in crh-1 encoding the CREB transcription factor affected only the LTM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisayuki Amano
- Information Processing Biology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa 904-0412, Japan
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Abstract
We have designed a real-time computer vision system, the Multi-Worm Tracker (MWT), that can simultaneously quantify the behavior of dozens of Caenorhabditis elegans on a traditional petri plate at video rates. Three traditional behavioral paradigms are examined using this system: spontaneous movement on food, where the behavior changes over tens of minutes; chemotaxis, where turning events must be detected accurately to determine strategy; and habituation of response to tap, where the response is stochastic and changes over time. In each case, manual analysis or automated single-worm tracking would be tedious and time-consuming, but the MWT system allows rapid quantification of behavior with minimal human effort. Thus, this system will enablelarge scale forward and reverse genetic screens for complex behaviors.
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Fischer TM, Jacobson DA, Counsell AN, Pelot MA, Demorest K. Regulation of low-threshold afferent activity may contribute to short-term habituation in Aplysia californica. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2011; 95:248-59. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2010.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2010] [Revised: 10/27/2010] [Accepted: 11/28/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Chatzigeorgiou M, Grundy L, Kindt KS, Lee WH, Driscoll M, Schafer WR. Spatial asymmetry in the mechanosensory phenotypes of the C. elegans DEG/ENaC gene mec-10. J Neurophysiol 2010; 104:3334-44. [PMID: 20881202 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00330.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
DEG/ENaC channels have been broadly implicated in mechanosensory transduction, yet many questions remain about how these proteins contribute to complexes that sense mechanical stimuli. In C. elegans, two DEG/ENaC channel subunits are thought to contribute to a gentle touch transduction complex: MEC-4, which is essential for gentle touch sensation, and MEC-10, whose importance is less well defined. By characterizing a mec-10 deletion mutant, we have found that MEC-10 is important, but not essential, for gentle touch responses in the body touch neurons ALM, PLM, and PVM. Surprisingly, the requirement for MEC-10 in ALM and PLM is spatially asymmetric; mec-10 animals show significant behavioral and physiological responses to stimulation at the distal end of touch neuron dendrites, but respond poorly to stimuli applied near the neuronal cell body. The subcellular distribution of a rescuing MEC-10::GFP translational fusion was found to be restricted to the neuronal cell body and proximal dendrite, consistent with the hypothesis that MEC-10 protein is asymmetrically distributed within the touch neuron process. These results suggest that MEC-10 may contribute to only a subset of gentle touch mechanosensory complexes found preferentially at the proximal dendrite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marios Chatzigeorgiou
- Cell Biology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2QH, UK
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Ardiel EL, Rankin CH. An elegant mind: Learning and memory in Caenorhabditis elegans. Learn Mem 2010; 17:191-201. [DOI: 10.1101/lm.960510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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37
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Giles AC, Rankin CH. Behavioral and genetic characterization of habituation using Caenorhabditis elegans. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2009; 92:139-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2008.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2008] [Revised: 08/12/2008] [Accepted: 08/12/2008] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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38
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Rankin CH, Abrams T, Barry RJ, Bhatnagar S, Clayton DF, Colombo J, Coppola G, Geyer MA, Glanzman DL, Marsland S, McSweeney FK, Wilson DA, Wu CF, Thompson RF. Habituation revisited: an updated and revised description of the behavioral characteristics of habituation. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2008; 92:135-8. [PMID: 18854219 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2008.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 826] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2008] [Revised: 09/24/2008] [Accepted: 09/24/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The most commonly cited descriptions of the behavioral characteristics of habituation come from two papers published almost 40 years ago [Groves, P. M., & Thompson, R. F. (1970). Habituation: A dual-process theory. Psychological Review, 77, 419-450; Thompson, R. F., & Spencer, W. A. (1966). Habituation: A model phenomenon for the study of neuronal substrates of behavior. Psychological Review, 73, 16-43]. In August 2007, the authors of this review, who study habituation in a wide range of species and paradigms, met to discuss their work on habituation and to revisit and refine the characteristics of habituation. This review offers a re-evaluation of the characteristics of habituation in light of these discussions. We made substantial changes to only a few of the characteristics, usually to add new information and expand upon the description rather than to substantially alter the original point. One additional characteristic, relating to long-term habituation, was added. This article thus provides a modern summary of the characteristics defining habituation, and can serve as a convenient primer for those whose research involves stimulus repetition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catharine H Rankin
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver BCV6H1B3, Canada.
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Asztalos Z, Arora N, Tully T. Olfactory jump reflex habituation in Drosophila and effects of classical conditioning mutations. J Neurogenet 2007; 21:1-18. [PMID: 17464794 PMCID: PMC2409173 DOI: 10.1080/01677060701247508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Habituation is a nonassociative learning mechanism, in which an initial response toward repeated stimuli gradually wanes. This is amongst the simplest and most widespread forms of behavioral plasticity. So far, neither the underlying molecular mechanisms nor the precise neural networks of habituation are well understood. We have developed a novel paradigm to quantify habituation of the olfactory jump reflex in Drosophila. We present data demonstrating several behavioral properties of this phenomenon, generally observed in other species. We also show that the dunce and rutabaga memory mutants behave abnormally in this assay, suggesting that this assay might be used in behavioral screens for new mutants with defects in this simpler form of behavioral plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltan Asztalos
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
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Kindt KS, Quast KB, Giles AC, De S, Hendrey D, Nicastro I, Rankin CH, Schafer WR. Dopamine Mediates Context-Dependent Modulation of Sensory Plasticity in C. elegans. Neuron 2007; 55:662-76. [PMID: 17698017 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2007.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2006] [Revised: 05/22/2007] [Accepted: 07/16/2007] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Dopamine has been implicated in the modulation of diverse forms of behavioral plasticity, including appetitive learning and addiction. An important challenge is to understand how dopamine's effects at the cellular level alter the properties of neural circuits to modify behavior. In the nematode C. elegans, dopamine modulates habituation of an escape reflex triggered by body touch. In the absence of food, animals habituate more rapidly than in the presence of food; this contextual information about food availability is provided by dopaminergic mechanosensory neurons that sense the presence of bacteria. We find that dopamine alters habituation kinetics by selectively modulating the touch responses of the anterior-body mechanoreceptors; this modulation involves a D1-like dopamine receptor, a Gq/PLC-beta signaling pathway, and calcium release within the touch neurons. Interestingly, the body touch mechanoreceptors can themselves excite the dopamine neurons, forming a positive feedback loop capable of integrating context and experience to modulate mechanosensory attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie S Kindt
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla CA 92093, USA
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Acevedo SF, Froudarakis EI, Kanellopoulos A, Skoulakis EM. Protection from premature habituation requires functional mushroom bodies in Drosophila. Learn Mem 2007; 14:376-84. [PMID: 17522029 PMCID: PMC1876762 DOI: 10.1101/lm.566007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Diminished responses to stimuli defined as habituation can serve as a gating mechanism for repetitive environmental cues with little predictive value and importance. We demonstrate that wild-type animals diminish their responses to electric shock stimuli with properties characteristic of short- and long-term habituation. We used spatially restricted abrogation of neurotransmission to identify brain areas involved in this behavioral response. We find that the mushroom bodies and, in particular, the alpha/beta lobes appear to guard against habituating prematurely to repetitive electric shock stimuli. In addition to protection from premature habituation, the mushroom bodies are essential for spontaneous recovery and dishabituation. These results reveal a novel modulatory role of the mushroom bodies on responses to repetitive stimuli in agreement with and complementary to their established roles in olfactory learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Summer F. Acevedo
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biomedical Science Research Centre “Alexander Fleming,” Vari 16672, Greece
| | - Emmanuil I. Froudarakis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biomedical Science Research Centre “Alexander Fleming,” Vari 16672, Greece
| | - Alexandros Kanellopoulos
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biomedical Science Research Centre “Alexander Fleming,” Vari 16672, Greece
| | - Efthimios M.C. Skoulakis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Biomedical Science Research Centre “Alexander Fleming,” Vari 16672, Greece
- Corresponding author.E-mail ; fax 30-210-965-6563
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Bounoutas A, Chalfie M. Touch sensitivity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Pflugers Arch 2007; 454:691-702. [PMID: 17285303 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-006-0187-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2006] [Accepted: 10/31/2006] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was the first organism for which touch insensitive mutants were obtained. The study of the genes defective in these mutants has led to the identification of components of a mechanosensory complex needed for specific cells to sense gentle touch to the body. Multiple approaches using genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, and electrophysiology have characterized a channel complex, containing two DEG/ENaC pore-forming subunits and several other proteins, that transduces the touch response. Other mechanical responses, sensed by other cells using a variety of other components, are less well understood in C. elegans. Many of these other senses may use TRP channels, although DEG/ENaC channels have also been implicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Bounoutas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, 1012 Fairchild, MC#2446, 1012 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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del Rosal E, Alonso L, Moreno R, Vázquez M, Santacreu J. Simulation of habituation to simple and multiple stimuli. Behav Processes 2006; 73:272-7. [PMID: 16904850 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2006.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2006] [Revised: 06/15/2006] [Accepted: 06/27/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Within the psychological literature there are a number of models that reproduce the defining properties of habituation to a single stimulus. However, most of them do not reproduce the phenomenon of dishabituation shown in empirical studies, consisting in the recovery of a stimulus previously habituated upon the appearance of a novel stimulus. The present work offers a model of habituation which, in addition to reproducing the basic properties of habituation to a stimulus, also does so when more than one stimulus is presented, and thus includes the dishabituation phenomenon. This model consists of two functions, one called "activation" and the other "availability", and is tested by means of simulation of the responses in the context of different stimulus patterns. The results of the simulation show a good qualitative fit to the empirical results on the phenomena of habituation, including dishabituation. In addition, the model is suitable for inclusion in associative models that reproduce classical conditioning, which will make it possible in the future to incorporate into these in a simple way the influence that the habituation of each stimulus may have on its association with other stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio del Rosal
- Department of Health Psychology, Autónoma University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain
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McDonald PW, Jessen T, Field JR, Blakely RD. Dopamine Signaling Architecture in Caenorhabditis elegans. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2006; 26:593-618. [PMID: 16724276 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-006-9003-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2006] [Accepted: 02/08/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
AIMS In this review, we highlight the identification and analysis of molecules orchestrating dopamine (DA) signaling in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, focusing on recent characterizations of DA transporters and receptors. METHODS We illustrate the isolation and characterization of molecules important for C. elegans DA synthesis, packaging, reuptake and signaling and examine how mutations in these proteins are being exploited through in vitro and in vivo paradigms to yield novel insights of protein structure, DA signaling pathways and DA-supported behaviors. RESULTS DA signaling in the worm, as in man, arises by synaptic and nonsynaptic release from a small number of cells that exert modulatory control over a larger network underlying C. elegans behavior. CONCLUSIONS The C. elegans model system offers unique opportunities to elucidate ill-defined pathways that support DA release, inactivation, and signaling in addition to clarifying mechanisms of DA-mediated behavioral plasticity. Further use of the model offers prospects for the identification of novel genes and proteins whose study may yield benefits for DA-supported neural disorders in man.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul W McDonald
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-8548, USA
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45
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Giles AC, Rose JK, Rankin CH. Investigations of learning and memory in Caenorhabditis elegans. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2005; 69:37-71. [PMID: 16492461 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(05)69002-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Giles
- Department of Psychology and Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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46
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O'Hagan R, Chalfie M. Mechanosensation in Caenorhabditis elegans. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2005; 69:169-203. [PMID: 16492465 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(05)69006-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert O'Hagan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
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47
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Schafer WR. Addiction research in a simple animal model: the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Neuropharmacology 2004; 47 Suppl 1:123-31. [PMID: 15464131 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2004.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2004] [Revised: 06/10/2004] [Accepted: 06/30/2004] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Genetic analysis in the nematode C. elegans has provided important insights into many aspects of neuronal cell biology, including functions related to addiction. Specifically, genetic and molecular screens to have been used to identify molecules involved in long-term responses to drugs of abuse and to analyze the mechanisms underlying their effects on nervous system development, plasticity, and behavior. This review presents a personal view of addiction-related research in C. elegans, and includes a discussion of technical innovations that have facilitated neurobiological analyses in C. elegans and a look at future prospects drug addiction research in simple animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- William R Schafer
- Section of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0349, USA.
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Yoder CA, Grewal PS, Taylor RAJ. RAPID AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN INFECTION BEHAVIOR OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODES. J Parasitol 2004; 90:1229-34. [PMID: 15715211 DOI: 10.1645/ge-3315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonfeeding infective juvenile (IJ) entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are used as biological agents to control soil-dwelling insects, but poor storage stability remains an obstacle to their widespread acceptance by distributors and growers as well as a frustration to researchers. Age is one factor contributing to variability in EPN efficacy. We hypothesized that age effects on the infectiousness of IJs would be evident within the length of time necessary for IJs to infect a host. The penetration behavior of "young" (<1-wk-old) and "old" (2- to 4-wk-old) Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (GPS 11 strain), Steinernema carpocapsae (All strain), and Steinernema feltiae (UK strain) IJs was evaluated during 5 "exposure periods" to the larvae of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella. Individual larvae were exposed to nematode-infested soil for exposure periods of 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 hr. Cadavers were dissected after 72 hr, and the IJs that penetrated the larvae were counted. Larval mortality did not differ significantly between 72- and 144-hr "observation periods," or points at which larval mortality was noted, for any age class or species. However, age and species effects were noted in G. mellonella mortality and nematode penetration during shorter time periods. Initial mortality caused by S. carpocapsae and H. bacteriophora IJs declined with nematode age but increased with S. feltiae IJ age. Young S. carpocapsae IJs penetrated G. mellonella larvae at higher rates than old members of the species (27-45% vs. 1-4%). Conversely, old S. feltiae IJs had higher penetration rates than young IJs (approximately 8 to 57% vs. 4 to approximately 31%), whereas H. bacteriophora IJs had very low penetration rates regardless of age (3-5.6%). Our results show that the effect of age on IJ infectiousness can be detected in IJs aged only 2 wk by a 4-hr exposure period to G. mellonella. These results have important implications for storage and application of EPNs and suggest the possibility of shortening the time required to detect nematodes in the soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corrie A Yoder
- Department of Entomology, Ohio State University, OARDC, Wooster, Ohio 44691, USA.
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Reversal frequency in Caenorhabditis elegans represents an integrated response to the state of the animal and its environment. J Neurosci 2003. [PMID: 12832557 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.23-12-05319.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The locomotion of Caenorhabditis elegans consists of forward crawling punctuated by spontaneous reversals. To better understand the important variables that affect locomotion, we have described in detail the locomotory behavior of C. elegans and identified a set of parameters that are sufficient to describe the animal's trajectory. A model of locomotion based on these parameters indicates that reversal frequency plays a central role in locomotion. We found that several variables such as humidity, gravidity, and mechanostimulation influence reversal frequency. Specifically, both gentle and harsh touch can transiently suppress reversal frequency. Thus, reversal behavior is a model for the integration of information from numerous modalities reflecting diverse aspects of the state of an organism.
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50
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Affiliation(s)
- Catharine H Rankin
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4.
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