Small Brains, Bright Minds

Menzel, Randolf; Leboulle, Gérard; Eisenhardt, Dorothea

doi:10.1016/j.cell.2006.01.011

Cited by 99 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Insects are often used to understand cellular and molecular foundations of learning and memory [1,2]. However, the mechanisms of memory formation in insects may differ from those of mammals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depolymerization of actin facilitates memory formation in an insect

et al. 2012

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).In mammals, memory formation and stabilization requires polymerization of actin. Here, we show that, in the honeybee, inhibition of actin polymerization within the brain centres involved in memory formation, the mushroom bodies (MBs), enhances associative olfactory memory. Local application of inhibitors of actin polymerization (Cytochalasin D or Latrunculin A) to the MBs 1 h before induction of long-term memory increased memory retention 2 and 24 h after the onset of training. Post-training application of Cytochalasin D also enhanced retention, indicating that memory consolidation is facilitated by actin depolymerization. We conclude that certain aspects of memory mechanisms could have been established independently in mammals and insects.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depolymerization of actin facilitates memory formation in an insect

et al. 2012

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“…In adult insects, the mushroom bodies (MBs) have been implicated in the formation and recall of olfactory memory (Heisenberg, 2003;Menzel et al, 2006); this may even apply to Drosophila larvae (Gerber et al, 2004(Gerber et al, , 2009). Anatomically and functionally, the larval brain shares many of the organizational features known from the mammalian brain, yet comprises only ϳ2000 functional neurons (Iyengar et al, 2006;Vosshall and Stocker, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DrosophilaLarvae Establish Appetitive Olfactory Memories via Mushroom Body Neurons of Embryonic Origin

et al. 2010

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Insect mushroom bodies are required for diverse behavioral functions, including odor learning and memory. Using the numerically simple olfactory pathway of the Drosophila melanogaster larva, we provide evidence that the formation of appetitive olfactory associations relies on embryonic-born intrinsic mushroom body neurons (Kenyon cells). The participation of larval-born Kenyon cells, i.e., neurons that become gradually integrated in the developing mushroom body during larval life, in this task is unlikely. These data provide important insights into how a small set of identified Kenyon cells can store and integrate olfactory information in a developing brain. To investigate possible functional subdivisions of the larval mushroom body, we anatomically disentangle its input and output neurons at the single-cell level. Based on this approach, we define 10 subdomains of the larval mushroom body that may be implicated in mediating specific interactions between the olfactory pathway, modulatory neurons, and neuronal output.

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“…These species are the most commonly used models in insect neuroscience (Berry et al, 2008;Fiala, 2007;Menzel et al, 2006). Among the different compartments of the insect central brain, the paired mushroom bodies (MB) are key sites of memory formation and are believed to be crucial for normal brain function (Hammer and Menzel, 1998;Szyszka et al, 2008;Yu et al, 2006;Zars et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural and proteomic analyses reveal regional brain differences during honeybee aging

Wolschin

Münch

Amdam

2009

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYAmong insects, learning is particularly well studied in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the honeybee Apis mellifera. A senescence-dependent decline in classic pavlovian conditioning is demonstrated for both species. To understand how aging affects learning, genetic approaches used with Drosophila can benefit from complementary studies in Apis. Specifically, honeybees have a larger brain size allowing for compartment-specific approaches, and a unique life-history plasticity. They usually perform within-nest tasks early in life (nest bees) and later they collect food (foragers). Senescence of learning performance is a function of the bees' foraging duration but underlying causes are poorly understood. As cognitive aging is commonly associated with structural and biochemical changes in the brain, we hypothesized that brain areas implicated in learning change in synaptic and biochemical composition with increased foraging duration. First, we used synapse-specific immunohistochemistry and proteomics to screen for alterations in the calyx region of the mushroom body, a key structure for memory formation. Using proteomics, we next profiled the central brain, which comprises all higher-order integration centers. We show that, with increased foraging duration, levels of kinases, synaptic-and neuronal growth-related proteins decline in the central brain while the calyx region remains intact both in structure and biochemistry. We suggest that proteome-level changes within major anatomical sites of memory formation other than the calyx region could be central to learning dysfunction. These include large compartments of the central brain, such as the mushroom body's output regions and the antennal lobes. Our data provide novel information toward heterogeneity in the aging insect brain, and demonstrate advantages of the honeybee for invertebrate neurogerontological research. Supplementary material available online at

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Small Brains, Bright Minds

Cited by 99 publications

References 15 publications

Depolymerization of actin facilitates memory formation in an insect

Depolymerization of actin facilitates memory formation in an insect

DrosophilaLarvae Establish Appetitive Olfactory Memories via Mushroom Body Neurons of Embryonic Origin

Structural and proteomic analyses reveal regional brain differences during honeybee aging

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