The great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) as a model of ageing and age-related memory impairment: an overview

With the increase of life span, normal ageing and age-related memory decline are affecting an increasing number of people; however, many aspects of these processes are still not fully understood. Although vertebrate models have provided considerable insights into the molecular and electrophysiological changes associated with brain ageing, invertebrates, including the widely recognised molluscan model organism, the great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) have proven to be extremely useful for studying mechanisms of ageing at the level of identified individual neurons and well-defined circuits. It’s numerically simpler nervous system, well-characterized life cycle and relatively long lifespan make it an ideal organism to study age-related changes in the nervous system. Here, we provide an overview of age-related studies on L. stagnalis and showcase this species as a contemporary choice for modelling the molecular, cellular, circuit, and behavioural mechanisms of ageing and age-related memory impairment.