Many studies have reported perturbations of mollusc reproduction following exposure to low concentrations (ng/L range) of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). However, the mechanisms of action of these molecules on molluscs are still poorly understood. Investigation of the modifications of protein expression in organisms exposed to chemicals using proteomic methods can provide a broader and m...

Biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate globally, with freshwater ecosystems particularly threatened. Field-based correlational studies have “ranked” stressors according to their relative effects on biota, however, supporting cause-effect data from laboratory exposures are lacking. Here, we designed elicit chronic over equivalent exposure ranges for three ubiquitous (temperature: 22–28 °C...

The aging brain undergoes a range of changes varying from subtle structural and physiological changes causing only minor functional decline under healthy normal aging conditions, to severe cognitive or neurological impairment associated with extensive loss of neurons and circuits due to age-associated neurodegenerative disease conditions. Understanding how biological aging processes affect the ...

Coexistence of regulatory peptides is reported with increasing frequency in the mammalian neuroendocrine system. We have investigated the possible presence of such coexistence in the invertebrate Lymnaea stagnalis and have found evidence for concurrence of enkephalin- and gastrin/cholecystokinin (CCK)-like peptides in identified neurosecretory neurons. Our immunocytochemical studies reveal, how...

The present study investigated the optimal training procedure leading to long-lasting taste avoidance behavior in Lymnaea. A training procedure comprising 5 repeated pairings of a conditional stimulus (CS, sucrose), with an unconditional stimulus (US, a tactile stimulation to the animal's head), over a 4-day period resulted in an enhanced memory formation than 10 CS-US repeated pairings over a ...

Cyclic or repeated movements are thought to be driven by networks of neurons (central pattern generators) that are dynamic in their connectivity. During two unrelated behaviors (feeding and egg laying), we investigated the behavioral output of the buccal pattern generator as well as the electrical activity of a pair of identified interneurons that have been shown to be involved in setting the l...

Sometimes life is just too stressful. Whether you’re a freshwater snail struggling to breathe in a dwindling puddle or a student facing an assessment that could change your future, it can be hard to form memories when the pressure is on; even the smartest can struggle. ‘We have been exploring how stress alters both memory formation and the ability to recall memory for a number of years’, says K...

Stress can alter adaptive behaviours, and as well either enhance or diminish learning, memory formation and/or memory recall. We show here that two different stressors have the ability to alter such behaviours in our model system, Lymnaea stagnalis. One, a naturally occurring stressor - the scent of a predator (crayfish) - and the other an artificially controlled one - 25 mmol l(-1) KCl - signi...

1. Dopaminergic transmission was investigated in the central nervous system (CNS) of the freshwater snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. 2. The giant pedal neuron, designated as right pedal dorsal one (RPeD1), makes chemical, monosynaptic connections with a number of identified follower cells in the CNS. Previous work has shown that RPeD1 is an interneuron and a important component of the Lymnaea respirat...