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Correlated changes in behaviour and glutamate receptor expression as a result of early stimulation in Caenorhabditis elegans Ebrahimi, Celia Mariah
Abstract
The effects of early sensory experience on the development of central nervous system structures and behavior are the focus of much ongoing research. Previous studies have demonstrated that exposing animals to sensory enriched environments produced significant changes in the nervous system and accelerated and improved the development of complex cognitive behaviors such as learning and memory; however the long-term effects of sensory enriched environments on the nervous system and behavior remain unknown. In this study, I investigated the long-term effects that an enhancement in mechanosensory experience produced on adult behavior and glutamate receptor-1 (GLR-1) distribution in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C elegans). I found that C. elegans exposed to an enhancement in mechanosensory stimulation exhibited different behavioral and molecular outcomes depending on the temporal pattern of mechanosensory stimulation, the age of the worm stimulated and the age of the worm tested. Early spaced mechanosensory stimulation at a long inter-stimulus interval produced two independent behavioral effects, an early enhancement at 3 days followed by a depression at 5 days. Both behaviors were dependent on glutamate activity and were associated with a positively correlating change in both glutamate receptor-1 protein distribution and mRNA levels. The 3 day behavioral enhancement was not observed when spaced mechanosensory stimulation was delivered later in larval development, suggesting a critical period for these effects early in larval development. There appeared to be no critical period for the depressed behavioral response observed at 5 days; however only the depressed behavioral response of 5 day old worms was found to be sensitive to reconsolidation blockade. These results suggest that early mechanosensory stimulation produces two independent effects in adult worms: an early developmental effect in 3 day old worms which is mediated by one cellular event and a long-term memory effect at 5 days which is mediated by a separate cellular phenomenon. The results from this study have provided novel information into the long-term effects that an enhancement in early sensory experience had on the behavior and molecular properties of the adult nervous system, and provided the foundation for future research in this field.
Item Metadata
Title |
Correlated changes in behaviour and glutamate receptor expression as a result of early stimulation in Caenorhabditis elegans
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2006
|
Description |
The effects of early sensory experience on the development of central nervous system
structures and behavior are the focus of much ongoing research. Previous studies have
demonstrated that exposing animals to sensory enriched environments produced significant
changes in the nervous system and accelerated and improved the development of complex
cognitive behaviors such as learning and memory; however the long-term effects of sensory
enriched environments on the nervous system and behavior remain unknown. In this study, I
investigated the long-term effects that an enhancement in mechanosensory experience
produced on adult behavior and glutamate receptor-1 (GLR-1) distribution in the nematode
Caenorhabditis elegans (C elegans). I found that C. elegans exposed to an enhancement in
mechanosensory stimulation exhibited different behavioral and molecular outcomes depending
on the temporal pattern of mechanosensory stimulation, the age of the worm stimulated and the
age of the worm tested. Early spaced mechanosensory stimulation at a long inter-stimulus
interval produced two independent behavioral effects, an early enhancement at 3 days followed
by a depression at 5 days. Both behaviors were dependent on glutamate activity and were
associated with a positively correlating change in both glutamate receptor-1 protein distribution
and mRNA levels. The 3 day behavioral enhancement was not observed when spaced
mechanosensory stimulation was delivered later in larval development, suggesting a critical
period for these effects early in larval development. There appeared to be no critical period for
the depressed behavioral response observed at 5 days; however only the depressed behavioral
response of 5 day old worms was found to be sensitive to reconsolidation blockade. These
results suggest that early mechanosensory stimulation produces two independent effects in
adult worms: an early developmental effect in 3 day old worms which is mediated by one cellular event and a long-term memory effect at 5 days which is mediated by a separate cellular
phenomenon. The results from this study have provided novel information into the long-term
effects that an enhancement in early sensory experience had on the behavior and molecular
properties of the adult nervous system, and provided the foundation for future research in this
field.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2010-01-05
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0092463
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2006-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.