Abilities of learning and memory in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus.

Abstract

Learning and memory are basic brain functions necessary for animals to adapt to their environment. Insects, which have high learning and memory abilities despite the relatively small number of neurons in their brains, are suitable animals for studying the neural and molecular mechanisms of learning and memory. I developed an experimental paradigm for olfactory associative learning in the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus in 1999 and have been studying the neural and molecular mechanisms of learning and memory in insects since then. In this review, I will present our findings from 25 years of research, including the procedures of associative learning in crickets, molecular mechanisms of long-term memory induced by olfactory associative learning, and the advanced abilities of learning and memory in the cricket.