Dopamine and Octopamine Influence Honey Bee Learning
Author Information
Author(s): Maitreyi Agarwal, Manuel Giannoni Guzmán, Carla Morales-Matos, Rafael Alejandro Del Valle Díaz, Charles I. Abramson, Tugrul Giray
Primary Institution: University of Puerto Rico
Hypothesis
How do dopamine and octopamine affect aversive learning in honey bees?
Conclusion
Dopamine improves punishment learning in honey bees, while octopamine has a negative effect on it.
Supporting Evidence
- Dopamine treatment led to less time spent in the shock area during training.
- Octopamine treatment resulted in more time spent in the shock area.
- Bees treated with dopamine showed a higher proportion of successful avoidance training.
- Learning curves indicated that bees treated with octopamine learned slower than those treated with dopamine.
Takeaway
This study shows that two brain chemicals, dopamine and octopamine, help honey bees learn to avoid danger, but they work in opposite ways.
Methodology
Honey bees were trained using a color cue associated with electric shock to study the effects of dopamine and octopamine on learning.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the specific genetic background of the honey bees used.
Limitations
The study did not explore the long-term effects of biogenic amines on learning.
Participant Demographics
Honey bees from multiple colonies, specifically foragers aged 21-30 days.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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