Dissecting neural pathways for forgetting in Drosophila olfactory aversive memory

Shuai, Y., Hirokawa, A., Ai, Y., Zhang, M., Li, W., Zhong, Y. (December 2015) Dissecting neural pathways for forgetting in Drosophila olfactory aversive memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 112 (48). E6663-72. ISSN 1091-6490 (Electronic)0027-8424 (Linking)

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Abstract

Recent studies have identified molecular pathways driving forgetting and supported the notion that forgetting is a biologically active process. The circuit mechanisms of forgetting, however, remain largely unknown. Here we report two sets of Drosophila neurons that account for the rapid forgetting of early olfactory aversive memory. We show that inactivating these neurons inhibits memory decay without altering learning, whereas activating them promotes forgetting. These neurons, including a cluster of dopaminergic neurons (PAM-beta'1) and a pair of glutamatergic neurons (MBON-gamma4>gamma1gamma2), terminate in distinct subdomains in the mushroom body and represent parallel neural pathways for regulating forgetting. Interestingly, although activity of these neurons is required for memory decay over time, they are not required for acute forgetting during reversal learning. Our results thus not only establish the presence of multiple neural pathways for forgetting in Drosophila but also suggest the existence of diverse circuit mechanisms of forgetting in different contexts.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: Drosophila melanogaster associative memory forgetting mushroom body reversal learning
Subjects: organism description > animal > insect > Drosophila
organism description > animal behavior > memory
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > neuronal circuits
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > neuronal circuits
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > neuronal circuits
organism description > animal behavior > olfactory
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Zhong lab
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: 1 December 2015
Date Deposited: 08 Dec 2015 20:46
Last Modified: 08 Nov 2017 20:06
PMCID: PMC4672816
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/32028

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