New research provides valuable insight into the molecular mechanisms that allow experience to influence behavior.
The study, published by Cell Press in the January 15th issue of the journal Neuron , shows that a normally repressive protein can promote plasticity in sensory neurons by linking odor stimulation with the synthesis of a key adaptation protein.
Successful organisms must be able to adjust their behavior as a result of their experiences. This requires sensory neurons that can accurately sense the environment, paying attention to meaningful stimuli while ignoring persistent stimuli that do not provide critical new information.
"Brief stimulation elicits rapidly reversible adjustments in the excitability of sensory neurons that allow an animal to track changes in its environment while prolonged stimulation elicits more enduring changes that allow the animal to reset its sensitivity to long-lasting alterations, such as the presence of a persistent odor," explains senior study author Dr. Noelle D. L'Etoile from the Center for Neuroscience at the University of California at Davis.
Dr. L'Etoile, along with Dr. Julia Kaye and colleagues, examined how sensory neurons alter their responsiveness as a function of prolonged experiences by studying the molecular mechanisms that underlie adaptation of olfactory sensory neurons in the microscopic worm, C. elegans . Specifically, the researchers were interested in determining how an alteration in the synthesis of new proteins (a process called translation) might be involved in sensory neuron plasticity.