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Episodic-like memory is preserved with age in cuttlefish

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Schnell, Alexandra K.  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9223-0724
Jozet-Alves, Christelle  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9372-2306

Abstract

Episodic memory, remembering past experiences based on unique what–where–when components, declines during ageing in humans, as does episodic-like memory in non-human mammals. By contrast, semantic memory, remembering learnt knowledge without recalling unique what–where–when features, remains relatively intact with advancing age. The age-related decline in episodic memory likely stems from the deteriorating function of the hippocampus in the brain. Whether episodic memory can deteriorate with age in species that lack a hippocampus is unknown. Cuttlefish are molluscs that lack a hippocampus. We test both semantic-like and episodic-like memory in sub-adults and aged-adults nearing senescence (n = 6 per cohort). In the semantic-like memory task, cuttlefish had to learn that the location of a food resource was dependent on the time of day. Performance, measured as proportion of correct trials, was comparable across age groups. In the episodic-like memory task, cuttlefish had to solve a foraging task by retrieving what–where–when information about a past event with unique spatio-temporal features. In this task, performance was comparable across age groups; however, aged-adults reached the success criterion (8/10 correct choices in consecutive trials) significantly faster than sub-adults. Contrary to other animals, episodic-like memory is preserved in aged cuttlefish, suggesting that memory deterioration is delayed in this species.

Description

Funder: European Research Council


Funder: Grass Foundation; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100001654


Funder: Royal Society; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000288


Funder: Fyssen Foundation


Funder: Australian Government; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100015539

Keywords

Neuroscience and cognition, Research articles, what–where–when memory, ageing, semantic-like memory, time-place learning, cephalopod cognition, comparative cognition

Journal Title

Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0962-8452
1471-2954

Volume Title

288

Publisher

The Royal Society
Sponsorship
Seventh Framework Programme (3399933, FP7/2007)