DROSOPHILA LEARNING AND MEMORY - RECENT PROGRESS AND NEW APPROACHES

The processes of learning and memory have traditionally been studied i n large experimental organisms (Aplysia, mice, rats and humans), where well-characterized behaviors are easily tested. Although Drosophila i s one of the most experimentally tractable organisms, it has only rece ntly joined the others as a model organism for learning and memory. Dr osophila behavior has been studied for over 20 years; however, most of the work in the learning and memory field has focused on initial lear ning, because establishing memory in Drosophila has not been as straig htforward as in other organisms. A major recent advance in this field has been the development of a training protocol that induces longterm memory in flies, This made possible experiments that implicated the Dr osophila CREB gene as a critical component in the consolidation of lon g-term memory, and paves the way for future experiments utilizing the well developed tools in Drosophila. This review will briefly summarize what is known in the field of Drosophila learning and memory to date, and discuss why the unique aspects of this field make traditional app roaches difficult and reward the use of alternative paths of experimen tation.