Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Author: Agustin Eleazar Lara | Email: agustin.e.lara@hotmail.com
Agustin Eleazar Lara1°, Emiliano Marachlian2°, Martin Klappenbach1°, Fernando Locatelli1°
1° Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (IFIByNE-UBA-CONICET)
2° Institut de Biologie de l´Ecole Normale Superieure – Paris, France
A feature of several neural circuits in insects and vertebrates is the presence of multiple tracts creating parallel pathways between periphery and higher brain centres. A main interest is whether these tracts convey redundant or distinct information. In our work, we investigated two tracts of the olfactory circuit in Apis mellifera, each connecting different parts of the AL (antennal lobe) to the MB (mushroom bodies). These parts possess distinct processing features, such as the number of local inhibitory interconnections. Therefore, these tracts could carry olfactory information processed differently. In previous research, we measured odor representation in the lateral tract and found that appetitive, but not aversive conditioning, enhances the representation of a conditioned odor. This correlated with behavioral results where an appetitive learned odor blocks learning of a second odor within a mixture. Additionally, we discovered that bees can distinguish appetitive and aversive learned odors presented as a mixture. Thus, we propose that information of different olfactory modalities is segregated in the AL and relayed independently to the MB. To test this, we conducted physiological and behavioral experiments. Our results show that lesions to either the lateral or medial tract impairs retrieval of appetitive or aversive memory, respectively. Currently, our experiments aim to determine if aversive learned odors also block the learning of a second odor within a mixture.