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Researchers at Leipzig University have gained important insights into learning mechanisms in the brain of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). In a new study published in the journal PNAS, they demonstrate that a specific class of neurons – octopaminergic neurons – play a central role in learning. In flies, octopamine influences the brain’s reward and punishment system, with dopamine serving as the primary neurotransmitter. Through octopamine-dependent modulation, the animals are able to adapt their memories more effectively, learn more flexibly, and take new information into account – processes that resemble human learning when we adjust to new experiences and changing circumstances.
“Using specialised genetic techniques, we were able to selectively activate the octopaminergic neurons. Interestingly, this was sufficient to induce both positive and negative memories,” explains Samantha Aurich from the Department of Animal and Behavioural Physiology at Leipzig University. She is one of three doctoral researchers at Leipzig University who are lead authors of the study. Precisely when these cells are activated during the learning process is crucial – depending on the timing, either a positive memory (reward) or a negative memory (punishment) is formed. The octopaminergic neurons act as central switches: they influence different types of dopaminergic neurons, which then send signals either for reward or for punishment to the memory centre in the brain. In this way, they determine the type of memory that is formed.
“Previously, it was thought that dopaminergic neurons were solely responsible for transmitting punishment signals, and octopaminergic neurons only for reward signals. We now know that different types of dopaminergic neurons are essential for transmitting both reward and punishment information,” says Professor Andreas Thum from the Department of Genetics. Octopamine plays a key role in this process: “It influences the transmission of information and thus controls which type of memory is formed,” adds Professor Dennis Pauls from the Department of Animal and Behavioural Physiology.
These findings build on the extensive body of research at Leipzig University into the neuronal basis of memory and behaviour in the fruit fly. The researchers are currently particularly interested in how the insects link past experiences to their current physiological state in order to respond flexibly to new situations – for example, in terms of whether they perceive something as positive or negative. In recent years, Leipzig University has developed a vibrant and continually growing focus on neurobiology and neurophysiology. One example is NeuroTune, a newly established DFG Research Training Group that focuses on how the brain functions. It is part of the high-potential area Molecular and Cellular Communication.
The participating research teams bring many years of expertise in memory research in flies, the study of signalling substances in the brain (known as neuromodulators), and advanced methods such as optogenetics. They also have extensive experience in genetic, molecular and physiological brain research. This combination of expertise and interdisciplinary collaboration makes it possible to investigate complex questions about learning and memory at a deep, scientifically robust level. This basic research provides an important foundation for future applications, for example in medicine, including the development of new therapies for neurological disorders.
Prof. Dr. Dennis Pauls
Leipzig University
Telephone: +49 341 97-36776
EMail: dennis.pauls@uni-leipzig.de
Prof. Dr. Andreas Stephan Thum
Leipzig University
Telephone: +49 341 97-36961
EMail: andreas.thum@uni-leipzig.de
"Selective octopaminergic tuning of mushroom body circuits during memory formation", Doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2517403123, https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2517403123
https://www.uni-leipzig.de/en/grk-neurotune DFG Research Training Group NeuroTune
Fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster).
Copyright: Colourbox
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