Associative memory mechanisms in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis

Lymnaea is an attractive model system for physiologists interested in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of associative learning and memory. Operant conditioning has been investigated in the respiratory system and classical conditioning in the feeding system. Many of the components of the neural networks that generate the respiratory and feeding behaviors have been identified, and it is possible to record the electrical activity of these neurons both during and after conditioning. In this chapter, we highlight the advances made in understanding the network and cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the two types of associative conditioning.