Perception, Learning and Memory

in Insects (PLMI)

 

Research themes

 

 

Spatial cognition in ant Guy Beugnon, Antoine Wystrach

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The role of the mushroom bodies in non-elemental learning Jean-Marc Devaud, Martin Giurfa

Collaboration: B. Grünewald, Université de Frankfurt

• Functional recruitment of the mushroom bodies, which are important brain centres for olfactory memory (Fig. 5, red), during the acquisition of complex learning tasks (reversal learning, configural learning tasks).

• Reversible, pharmacological inactivation of mushroom body function, by local injections of an anaesthetic (Fig. 5), and assessment of its behavioural consequences on learning performances in tasks of diverse levels of complexity.

 

Figure 5: Left: 3D-model of the honeybee brain, showing the main centres involved in olfactory learning:

antennal lobes (blue) and mushroom bodies (red). The latter seem to be necessary only for complex

learning tasks. Right:  Injection of the anaesthetic in the brain of a bee before conditioning.

 

 

 

Role of the nicotinic receptors in olfactory learning and memory Monique Gauthier, Valérie Raymond-Delpech

 

• Localization of nicotinic subunits in honeybee brain using in situ hybridization.

 

 

 

 

 

Inhibitory neurotransmission in the honeybee Catherine Armengaud

 

• Behavioural effects of pesticides that are the targets of glutamate and GABA receptors
  Collaboration: Monique Gauthier

 

 

• Identification of GluCls receptors and role in learning and memory
  Collaboration: Gérard Leboulle (Berlin)

 

 

• Pharmacological characterisation of two variants of Amel_GluCls
  Collaboration: Valérie Raymond

 

 

 

Cellular and molecular bases of long-term olfactory memory Jean-Marc Devaud, Jean-Christophe Sandoz

Collaborations : W. Farina (Univ. Buenos Aires), A. Acebes ( Inst. Cajal, Madrid), M. Morales (Univ. Barcelone), D. Eisenhardt ( Univ. Berlin), W. Roessler (Univ. Würzburg)

• Study of the neural and biochemical bases of synaptic and systemic consolidation of an olfactory memory.

• Changes in the structural and synaptic organization of the olfactory pathway (antennal lobes, mushroom bodies: Fig. 6).

• Functional study, using calcium imaging of the living brain, of the consequences of such changes on the brain representation of learnt odours.

• Assessment of the role of different signalling pathways (NO, CREB) in synaptic plasticity and formation of long-term memory.

• Experimental manipulation (pharmacological treatments, RNA interference) of synaptic plasticity and analysis of the behavioural consequences.

 

Figure 6:Left: Immunohistochemistry of the synaptic compartments in the olfactory pathway

(antennal lobes to the left, mushroorm bodies to the right). Right: 3D-reconstruction of an antennal lobe,

allowing to measure the volume of its constituting units, the glomeruli (Images: B. Hourcade).

 

 

 

Role of calcium in olfactory long-term memory formation Valérie Raymond-Delpech

Collaboration : Jean-Christophe Sandoz, Marc Moreau (CBD), Catherine Leclerc (CBD) et Isabelle Néant (CBD)

• Calcium is necessary and sufficient for long term memory formation, pharmacological and behavioural approaches.

 

 

• Identification of calcium-dependent genes involved in long term memory formation, using microarray analysis and quantitative RT-PCR.

• Localization of target gene mRNA in honeybee brain using in situ hybridization.

 

 

 

Modulation of learning by a social signal Jean-Marc Devaud, Martin Giurfa, Isabele Massou, Valérie Raymond-Delpech

Gateway Project with Bernard Francés (CRCA)

• Analysis of the effects of a social signal, the alarm pheromone, on olfactory learning performances.

• Study of neuropeptides potentially involved in the modulation of learning : pharmacological, molecular biology and behavioural approaches.

• Characterization of the expression pattern and the pharmacological profile of a new receptor (Fig. 7): in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, electrophysiology.

 

Figure 7: 3D-model of a putative receptor possibly involved in the modulation of learning.