An Early Sensitive Period Induces Long-Lasting Plasticity in the Honeybee Nervous System

GROSSO, JUAN P.; BARNETO, JESICA A.; VELARDE, RODRIGO A.; PAGANO, EDUARDO A.; ZAVALA, JORGE A.; FARINA, WALTER M.

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience

Frontiers

Año: 2018 vol. 12

The effect of early experiences on the brain during a sensitive period exerts a long-lastinginfluence on the mature individual. Despite behavioral and neural plasticity caused byearly experiences having been reported in the honeybee Apis mellifera, the presence ofa sensitive period in which associative experiences lead to pronounced modifications inthe adult nervous system is still unclear. Laboratory-reared bees were fed with scentedfood within specific temporal windows and were assessed for memory retention, inthe regulation of gene expression related to the synaptic formation and in the olfactoryperception of their antennae at 17 days of age. Bees were able to retain a food-odorassociation acquired 5?8 days after emergence, but not before, and showed betterretention than those exposed to an odor at 9?12 days. In the brain, the odor-rewardedexperiences that occurred at 5?8 days of age boosted the expression levels of the celladhesion proteins neurexin 1 (Nrx1) and neuroligin 2 (Nlg2) involved in synaptic strength.At the antennae, the experiences increased the electrical response to a novel odorbut not to the one experienced. Therefore, a sensitive period that induces long-lastingbehavioral, functional and structural changes is found in adult honeybees.