Event Abstract Back to Event Timing of environmental enrichment affects learning performance in an insect, Acheta domesticus Heather Mallory1* 1 Washington and Lee University, United States Learning is, by definition, a plastic trait, and appears to be shared by all animals, playing an important role in many behaviors including foraging and reproduction. Although studies have shown there is some genetic basis for differences in learning ability, just like any other trait environment also plays an important part. For example, studies in the laboratory have shown that adult animals maintained in enriched housing conditions consisting of extra space and opportunities for exercise and socialization learn faster, and regions of the brain linked to learning and memory are relatively larger, than in animals maintained in impoverished housing conditions. This plasticity in adult learning ability has often been linked to plasticity in the brain, and studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms, stimuli, and consequences of adult behavioral and brain plasticity are numerous. However, the role that experiences earlier in the life of an animal play in adult plasticity remains relatively unexplored. Using the cricket as a model organism, we examined how enrichment or isolation at two developmental stages (either the last nymphal instar or young adult stage) for a various number of days, affected plasticity of adult learning ability and relative brain size. Our results show that young adult crickets from an enriched rearing condition are relatively better learners, regardless of rearing condition at the last nymphal instar. Furthermore, young adult crickets in the enriched condition had relatively larger mushroom bodies - paired sensory integrative structures in the insect brain shown to be important in learning and memory - than those in the isolated condition. Finally, number of days in the rearing condition had an effect on relative learning ability only for young adults. Taken together, our results suggest that plasticity in adult learning ability is dependent on the age of the animal, not necessarily previous experiences, and early adulthood may be a period of particular sensitivity in crickets. Keywords: cricket, development, Mushroom Bodies, Olfactory learning, plasticity Conference: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster (but consider for Participant Symposium) Topic: Learning, Memory and Behavioral Plasticity Citation: Mallory H (2012). Timing of environmental enrichment affects learning performance in an insect, Acheta domesticus . Conference Abstract: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00297 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Apr 2012; Published Online: 07 Jul 2012. * Correspondence: Dr. Heather Mallory, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia, United States, mallory.heather@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Heather Mallory Google Heather Mallory Google Scholar Heather Mallory PubMed Heather Mallory Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.