ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING--BEHAVIORAL AND CELLULAR STUDIES

我们正在分析一种快速发作，持续时间长的 陆栖蛞蝓的联想学习机制 的 学习机制是神经控制系统的一部分。 我们 使用行为实验来定义的主要塑料能力， 神经元控制系统 神经生理学和神经化学 实验旨在确定可塑性变化的关键突触位点， 它们背后的生物物理和生物化学事件。 拟议的行为实验将进一步表征 离体脑神经节的联想学习能力 对于几天的长期记忆保持时间和更高的顺序， 条件反射现象（二阶条件反射、复合条件反射 和阻断）。 神经生理学实验 将重点关注以前表征的多巴胺能和 具有学习和搜索指令神经元的神经元 饲养网络是可塑性变化的潜在位点。 神经化学 实验将扩展我们的观察，即饮食胆碱增加 通过测试饮食酪氨酸和 色氨酸对大脑多巴胺和血清素水平的影响， 记忆力 成功的学习和记忆治疗措施的设计 老年痴呆症和阿尔茨海默氏病等疾病将得到帮助 根据定义，在正常情况下， 学习和记忆储存。 拟议的实验将有助于 这个定义。

We are analyzing the neuronal basis of a rapid-onset, long-duration associative learning mechanism in the terrestrial slug, Limax maximus. The learning mechanism is part of the neural control system for feeding. We use behavioral experiments to define the major plastic capabilities of the neural control system for feeding. Neurophysiological and neurochemical experiments aim to define the critical synaptic loci of plastic changes and the causative biophysical and biochemical events which underly them. The proposed behavioral experiments will further characterize the associative learning ability of the isolated cerebral ganglia by testing for long term memory retention times of several days and the higher order conditioning phenomena (second order conditioning, compound conditioning and blocking) shown by the intact animal. Neurophysiological experiments will focus on changes in previously characterized dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons with learning and search for command neurons in the feeding network as potential loci for plastic changes. Neurochemical experiments will extend our observation that dietary choline augments memory retention by testing for the effects of dietary tyrosine and tryptophan on brain levels of dopamine and serotonin and on learning and memory retention. The design of successful therapeutic measures for learning and memory disorders such as senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease would be aided greatly by definition of the basic synaptic changes which underlie normal learning and memory storage. The proposed experiments will contribute to that definition.