Merging of long-term memories in an insect

Current Biology : CB
Kathryn L Hunt, Lars Chittka

Abstract

Research on comparative cognition has largely focused on successes and failures of animals to solve certain cognitive tasks, but in humans, memory errors can be more complex than simple failures to retrieve information [1, 2]. The existence of various types of "false memories," in which individuals remember events that they have never actually encountered, are now well established in humans [3, 4]. We hypothesize that such systematic memory errors may be widespread in animals whose natural lifestyle involves the processing and recollection of memories for multiple stimuli [5]. We predict that memory traces for various stimuli may "merge," such that features acquired in distinct bouts of training are combined in an animal's mind, so that stimuli that have never been viewed before, but are a combination of the features presented in training, may be chosen during recall. We tested this using bumblebees, Bombus terrestris. When individuals were first trained to a solid single-colored stimulus followed by a black and white (b/w)-patterned stimulus, a subsequent preference for the last entrained stimulus was found in both short-term- and long-term-memory tests. However, when bees were first trained to b/w-patterned stimuli followed b...Continue Reading

References

Nov 1, 1994·Memory & Cognition·M T Reinitz, J B Demb
Sep 26, 2001·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·D L Schacter, C S Dodson
May 1, 1954·Journal of Experimental Psychology·G E BRIGGS
Aug 25, 2004·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Shaowu ZhangJason Wong
Feb 28, 2008·PloS One·Geraldine A WrightMitchell G A Thomson
Aug 1, 1996·Nature·M GiurfaR Menzel
Nov 20, 2009·Current Biology : CB·Lars Chittka, Jeremy Niven
Nov 12, 2010·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Aurore Avarguès-WeberMartin Giurfa
Feb 9, 2011·Current Biology : CB·Lars Chittka, Keith Jensen
Sep 26, 2014·F1000Research·Kathryn Hunt, Lars Chittka

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jul 3, 2015·Frontiers in Psychology·Gema Martin-Ordas, Tom V Smulders
Sep 11, 2017·Reviews in the Neurosciences·Sean Commins

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

The Journal of Experimental Biology
Vivek Nityananda, Jonathan G Pattrick
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
Michael Edward BallardHarriet de Wit
Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
Lisa J Evans, Nigel E Raine
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved