The ability of Drosophila mutants with defects in the central complex and mushroom bodies to learn and form memories

One of the most important questions in the genetics of behavior is that of studies of the mechanisms of learning and memory. A convenient system for this is provided by Drosophila melanogaster, in which a whole series of mutations affecting the formation of different types of memory and learning have been obtained. The brain formations involved in these processes have been studied in parallel. Attention is currently focused on two main structures: the central complex and the mushroom bodies. These mediate the integration and storage of information accumulating during the process of learning. Mutants with defects in individual parts of the central complex and mushroom bodies have been obtained. Mutants simultaneously affecting the operation, development, or structure of the central part of the cerebral neural ganglion and the ability to learn and form memory traces are of particular interest. We have evaluated the learning ability of mutants with defects in the central complex (cex^KS181 and ccb^KS127) and mutants with defects in the mushroom bodies (mud¹, mbm¹, and cxb^N71), using a method based on the conditioned reflex suppression of courtship. Memory defects were seen in cex^KS181 and mud¹ mutants.