Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Regulates Habituation Latency and Facilitation in Distinct Mushroom Body Neurons.

Habituation is the adaptive behavioral outcome of processes engaged in timely devaluation of non-reinforced repetitive stimuli, but the neuronal circuits and molecular mechanisms that underlie them are not well understood. To gain insights into these processes we developed and characterized a habituation assay to repetitive footshocks in mixed sex groups and demonstrated that acute neurotransmission from adult α/β mushroom body (MB) neurons prevents premature stimulus devaluation. Herein we demonstrate that activity of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase dBtk protein is required within these neurons to prevent premature habituation.

Tau Negatively Regulates Translation and Olfactory Long-Term Memory, But Facilitates Footshock Habituation and Cytoskeletal Homeostasis.

Although the involvement of pathological tau in neurodegenerative dementias is indisputable, its physiological roles have remained elusive in part because its abrogation has been reported without overt phenotypes in mice and This was addressed using the recently described and Mi{MIC} mutants and focused on molecular and behavioral analyses. Initially, we show that tau (dTau) loss precipitates dynamic cytoskeletal changes in the adult CNS and translation upregulation. Significantly, we demonstrate for the first time distinct roles for dTau in adult mushroom body (MB)-dependent neuroplasticity as its downregulation within α'β'neurons impairs habituation.

The Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Alk Constrains Long-Term Memory Formation.

In addition to mechanisms promoting protein-synthesis-dependent long-term memory (PSD-LTM), the process appears to also be specifically constrained. We present evidence that the highly conserved receptor tyrosine kinase dAlk is a novel PSD-LTM attenuator in Reduction of dAlk levels in adult α/β mushroom body (MB) neurons during conditioning elevates LTM, whereas its overexpression impairs it. Unlike other memory suppressor proteins and miRNAs, dAlk within the MBs constrains PSD-LTM specifically but constrains learning outside the MBs as previously shown.

Stage dependent nutritional regulation of transgenerational longevity.

: Statistical analyses in human populations have associated limited food availability during development with increased longevity of next generations. In support, recent findings in revealed nutritional effects on transgenerational longevity. : In this study we tested the effect of nutrition on longevity of future generations in and whether this is sex-specific.