Infographic: Synaptic Plasticity in the Sea Slug

The sea slug has helped scientists in their quest to understand how neurons encode memories.

Written byDanielle Gerhard, PhD

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Like vertebrates, sea slugs engage in simple forms of learning and memory, and they have provided valuable insights into synaptic plasticity.¹ Researchers cultured a bifurcated sensory neuron with two motor neurons and found that repeated stimulation of a synapse on one of the motor neurons but not the other specifically strengthened that synapse.²

Infographic showing the selective strengthening of synapses that received stimulation.

References

Kandel ER. The molecular biology of memory storage: A dialogue between genes and synapses. Science. 2001; 294:1030-1038.
Martin KC, et al. Synapse-specific, long-term facilitation of aplysia sensory to motor synapses: A function for local protein synthesis in memory storage. Cell. 1997; 91:927-938.

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Meet the Author

Danielle Gerhard, PhD
Danielle is a Senior Editor at The Scientist. She earned her PhD in psychology and behavioral neuroscience from Yale University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience Weill Cornell Medicine. Her research explored the cellular and molecular mechanisms of stress and depression across development. She has served as editor-in-chief of the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, contributed stories to BioTechniques News and Drug Discovery News, and engaged in various science outreach initiatives across Connecticut and NYC.
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