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Data from the behavioural experiments described in the paper: A CREB2-targeting microRNA is required for long-term memory after single-trial learning.
<b>Data for paper appearing in Scientific Reports. </b><div><br></div><div>Excel workbooks with unconditioned and conditioned feeding response data obtained in behavioural pharmacological experiments exploring the role of microRNAs in general and miR-137 in particular in long-term memory after single-trial classical conditioning.<br><br><b>Abstract from research paper</b><br>Although single-trial induced long-term memories (LTM) have been of
major interest in neuroscience, how LTM can form after a single episode
of learning remains largely unknown. We hypothesized that the removal of
molecular inhibitory constraints by microRNAs (miRNAs) plays an
important role in this process. To test this hypothesis, first we
constructed small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) cDNA libraries from the CNS of
<i>Lymnaea stagnalis</i> subjected to a single conditioning trial.
Then, by next generation sequencing of these libraries, we identified a
specific pool of miRNAs regulated by training. Of these miRNAs, we
focussed on Lym-miR-137 whose seed region shows perfect complementarity
to a target sequence in the 3’ UTR of the mRNA for CREB2, a well-known
memory repressor. We found that Lym-miR-137 was transiently up-regulated
1 h after single-trial conditioning, preceding a down-regulation of <i>Lym-CREB2</i> mRNA. Furthermore, we discovered that Lym-miR-137 is co-expressed with <i>Lym-CREB2</i>
mRNA in an identified neuron with an established role in LTM. Finally,
using an in vivo loss-of-function approach we demonstrated that
Lym-miR-137 is required for single-trial induced LTM.</div
Dynamic control of a central pattern generator circuit: a computational model of the snail feeding network
Central pattern generators (CPGs) are networks underlying rhythmic motor behaviours and they are dynamically regulated by neuronal elements that are extrinsic or intrinsic to the rhythmogenic circuit. In the feeding system of the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, the extrinsic slow oscillator (SO) interneuron controls the frequency of the feeding rhythm and the N3t (tonic) has a dual role; it is an intrinsic CPG interneuron, but it also suppresses CPG activity in the absence of food, acting as a decision-making element in the feeding circuit. The firing patterns of the SO and N3t neurons and their synaptic connections with the rest of the CPG are known, but how these regulate network function is not well understood. This was investigated by building a computer model of the feeding network based on a minimum number of cells (N1M, N2v and N3t) required to generate the three-phase motor rhythm together with the SO that was used to activate the system. The intrinsic properties of individual neurons were represented using two-compartment models containing currents of the Hodgkin–Huxley type. Manipulations of neuronal activity in the N3t and SO neurons in the model produced similar quantitative effects to food and electrical stimulation in the biological network indicating that the model is a useful tool for studying the dynamic properties of the feeding circuit. The model also predicted novel effects of electrical stimulation of two CPG interneurons (N1M and N2v). When tested experimentally, similar effects were found in the biological system providing further validation of our model