Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Author: María Luz Iglesias | Email: iglesiasmarialuz@gmail.com
Maria Luz Iglesias1°, Arturo Gabriel Romano1°
1° IFIBYNE, UBA-CONICET
This study explores the effects of environmental enrichment (EE) on short and long-term memory in Neohelice granulata crabs, aiming to understand how EE influence cognitive functions in crustaceans. We assessed memory performance in crabs exposed to both enriched and standard environments and discovered that those in the enriched environment showed marked improvements in long-term memory. Furthermore, according to research in mammals where Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels increase with EE and correlate with memory enhancement, we performed Western blot analyses using human BDNF antibodies on brain extracts from mice, flies, and crabs. To ensure the accuracy of our results, an adsorption experiment was conducted to assess the specificity of the signals obtained with these antibodies. Additionally, an in silico comparative analysis of neurotrophins from vertebrates, Drosophila melanogaster, and the crab species Eriocheir sinensis was carried out using protein sequence alignment. This comparison revealed significant similarities in neurotrophin profiles across these diverse species, underscoring the evolutionary conservation of neurotrophic factors and their roles in neural processes. Our findings reveal the potential for environmental enrichment to enhance memory in crabs and underscore the utility of comparative neurobiological approaches for uncovering conserved mechanisms across species.