Aberrant neuronal hyperactivation causes an age-dependent behavioral decline in .

Age-dependent sensory impairment, memory loss, and cognitive decline are generally attributed to neuron loss, synaptic dysfunction, and decreased neuronal activities over time. Concurrently, increased neuronal activity is reported in humans and other organisms during aging. However, it is unclear whether neuronal hyperactivity is the cause of cognitive impairment or a compensatory mechanism of circuit dysfunction.

Bacterial diet affects the age-dependent decline of associative learning in .

The causality and mechanism of dietary effects on brain aging are still unclear due to the long time scales of aging. The nematode has contributed to aging research because of its short lifespan and easy genetic manipulation. When fed the standard laboratory diet, , experiences an age-dependent decline in temperature-food associative learning, called thermotaxis.