Taste-elicited short-term memory leads to prolonged modulation of feeding behavior in Drosophila melanogaster Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

The ability to process and integrate taste inputs and generate appropriate behavior is essential to animal survival. Taste cues can modulate both immediate and future feeding behavior. Taste modulation of future feeding behavior has been well studied through the context of associative learning, where two stimuli are paired, but is less studied through the context of short-term memory, where the two stimuli do not overlap in time. Using Drosophila melanogaster, we studied how future feeding decision is modulated by the short-term memory of a previous taste experience, and how this modulation is influenced by internal state, time, intensity of tastant, and type of tastant. We found that brief exposure to bitter and salt suppressed future feeding responses to sugar. This suppression is stronger when the animal is hungry and when the intensity of tastant is stronger. In addition, any suppression disappears over the course of a few minutes, supporting a short-term memory model. The ability to store memory of external stimuli and process with the context of internal state allows animals to integrate information and generate flexible behavioral responses.

Table of Contents

Table of contents

Abstract

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Background

The Drosophila taste system

Behavioral flexibility and modulation in Drosophila

Hypothesis and Goals

Materials and Methods

Fly stocks and maintenance:

Salt Dose-response PER assays

Short-term memory PER assays

Taste solutions

Statistical analysis

Resource table

Results

Recapitulation of published results confirms bitter stimulation & optogenetic bitter neuron activation suppresses future PER to sucrose

1)            Bitter experience suppresses future PER to sucrose

2)            Optogenetic activation of bitter-sensing neuron suppresses subsequent PER to sucrose

Bitter short-term memory suppression of subsequent PER to sucrose

1)            Hunger state affects optogenetic bitter suppression of subsequent PER to sucrose

2)            & 3)  Bitter short-term memory suppresses subsequent PER to sucrose in a dose- and time-dependent manner

Salt short-term memory modulation

Drosophilae are averse to high salt in salt + sugar dose-response PER experiments

High salt concentrations suppress PER in a dose- and time-dependent manner

Discussion

References

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Biology
Degree	B.S.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Biology, Neuroscience
Keyword	Short-term memory Neuroscience Behavior Drosophila melanogaster
Committee Members	Michal Arbilly, Emory University Benjamin Wilson, Emory University Anita Devineni, Emory University

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