Chapter 19 - Multisite Cellular and Synaptic Mechanisms in Hermissenda Pavlovian Conditioning

Cellular studies of associative learning indicate that changes in synaptic strength and intrinsic enhanced cellular excitability are basic mechanisms supporting the formation and expression of memory within the nervous system. An analysis of the Pavlovian conditioned CR complex in Hermissenda has led to the identification of molecular mechanisms contributing to the acquisition of short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term memory. Cellular and synaptic changes have been examined at multiple loci within the neural network supporting the generation of the CR complex. The neural circuitry supporting the expression of the conditioned responses has been identified, and this provides for the opportunity to understand how cellular and molecular modifications at different loci within a neural circuit can reconfigure the network to express learned behavior.