Meeting Abstract
The prawn-in-a-tube procedure is a learning paradigm for cuttlefish, where a live prey item is enclosed in a clear tube. After multiple attempts to capture the prey with tentacle strikes, cuttlefish learn the prey is inaccessible, and inhibit tentacle strikes. Adult cuttlefish retain the procedure in long term memory stores, as they remember not to strike up to several days after the initial training. However, development of memory in sub-adult Sepia is poorly known, as most cuttlefish research represents one species, S. officinalis. We used the DanioVision system to study learning in juvenile dwarf cuttlefish, Sepia bandensis. DanioVision is a closed system for high-throughput tracking of small animals. By tracking subject activity levels, behavioral differences resulting from changing stimuli or altered reinforcement schedules can be quantified. We employed the prawn-in-a-tube procedure on 21 day old S. bandensis juveniles. We hypothesized that cuttlefish would decrease striking within 10 minute trials, and would retain learning after 20 minute intervals between each consecutive trial. Preliminary results suggest that cuttlefish decrease strikes between 5 consecutive trials, implying that long term memory is partly functional at 21 days in S. bandensis. The contingencies under which cuttlefish retain the procedure are less known. Future experiments utilizing electric shock will determine the effects of aversive stimuli on retention. This will be done with a uniquely designed, contact circuit which can be operated to deliver shocks immediately after a strike. We hypothesize that retention will improve for cuttlefish that were shocked during training, when compared to cuttlefish that were not shocked.
