We thank W. Ryu for advice on our initial imaging set-up, Z. Gitai for the suggestion to use ImageJ13 to count worms, and J. Ashraf for help with Google SketchUp. CTM is a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, a McKnight Scholar, and a Keck Scholar.

<ol>
	<li>Bargmann, C. I., Hartwieg, E., Horvitz, H. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Odorant-selective+genes+and+neurons+mediate+olfaction+in+C.+elegans.">Odorant-selective genes and neurons mediate olfaction in C. elegans.</a> Cell. 74, 515-515 (1993).</li><li>Ward, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Chemotaxis+by+the+nematode+Caenorhabditis+elegans:+identification+of+attractants+and+analysis+of+the+response+by+use+of+mutants.">Chemotaxis by the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans: identification of attractants and analysis of the response by use of mutants.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 70, 817-817 (1973).</li><li>Bono, M. d. e., Maricq, A. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Neuronal+substrates+of+complex+behaviors+in+C.+elegans.">Neuronal substrates of complex behaviors in C. elegans.</a> Annu Rev Neurosci. 28, 451-451 (2005).</li><li>Mori, I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genetics+of+chemotaxis+and+thermotaxis+in+the+nematode+Caenorhabditis+elegans.">Genetics of chemotaxis and thermotaxis in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.</a> Annu Rev Genet. 33, 399-399 (1999).</li><li>Zhang, Y., Lu, H., Bargmann, C. I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pathogenic+bacteria+induce+aversive+olfactory+learning+in+Caenorhabditis+elegans.">Pathogenic bacteria induce aversive olfactory learning in Caenorhabditis elegans.</a> Nature. 438, 179-179 (2005).</li><li>Kauffman, A. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Insulin+signaling+and+dietary+restriction+differentially+influence+the+decline+of+learning+and+memory+with+age.">Insulin signaling and dietary restriction differentially influence the decline of learning and memory with age.</a> PLoS Biol. 8, e1000372-e1000372 (2010).</li><li>Torayama, I., Ishihara, T., Katsura, I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Caenorhabditis+elegans+integrates+the+signals+of+butanone+and+food+to+enhance+chemotaxis+to+butanone.">Caenorhabditis elegans integrates the signals of butanone and food to enhance chemotaxis to butanone.</a> J Neurosci. 27, 741-741 (2007).</li><li>Silva, A. J., Kogan, J. H., Frankland, P. W., Kida, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=CREB+and+memory.">CREB and memory.</a> Annu Rev Neurosci. 21, 127-127 (1998).</li><li>Meyer, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Iterative+image+transformations+for+an+automatic+screening+of+cervical+smears.">Iterative image transformations for an automatic screening of cervical smears.</a> J Histochem Cytochem. 27, 128-128 (1979).</li><li>Otsu, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+Threshold+Selection+Method+from+Gray-Level+Histograms.">A Threshold Selection Method from Gray-Level Histograms.</a> IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics. 9, 62-62 (1979).</li><li>Brenner, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+genetics+of+Caenorhabditis+elegans.">The genetics of Caenorhabditis elegans.</a> Genetics. 77, 71-71 (1974).</li><li>Stephens, G. J., Johnson-Kerner, B., Bialek, W., Ryu, W. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Dimensionality+and+dynamics+in+the+behavior+of+C.+elegans.">Dimensionality and dynamics in the behavior of C. elegans.</a> PLoS Comput Biol. 4, e1000028-e1000028 (2008).</li><li>Abramoff, M. a. g. e. l. h. a. e. s., Ram, P. J., J, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Image+Processing+with+ImageJ.">Image Processing with ImageJ.</a> Biophotonics International. 11, 36-36 (2004).</li></ol>

No conflicts of interest declared.

The C. elegans olfactory associative learning and memory assays presented here distinguish between the processes of massed learning, spaced learning, short-term memory, and long-term memory. These assays rely on the worms' abilities to sense food and chemical odors in their environment1,2 and to form positive associations between the two.6 Therefore, the assays are very sensitive to starvation in the starting population of animals, and great care must be taken to ensure that worms are well fed before and after training. Single massed training yields short-term associative memory. The increased number of conditioning periods and spaced training paradigm is critical for achieving long-term associative memory in C. elegans as it is in other organisms.6,8 Perhaps this assay could be modified to produce long-term memories of associations between different conditioned and unconditioned stimuli.
Our associative learning and memory assays can be used to compare the learning and memory capabilities of wild type to aging or genetic mutant animals. For example, while both associative learning and long-term associative memory abilities decline in aging wild-type worms, learning is maintained longer with age in animals with reduced insulin signaling, and learning and memory is maintained longer with age in calorically restricted animals.6 These assays are also amenable to RNAi treatment or pharmacological manipulation of C. elegans. For example, treatment of worms with daf-2 RNAi improves short- and long-term associative memory; conversely, blockage of gene transcription and protein synthesis with drugs (actinomycin D and cycloheximide, respectively) during spaced training disrupts long-term memory formation.6
Long-term memory is a process that is crucial to survival in all animals, and it appears that much of the molecular machinery involved in memory of a Pavlovian association is conserved from worms to mammals.6 The ability to distinguish and test associative learning, short-term and long-term memory using these olfactory assays makes C. elegans an excellent system for the further study of memory, and may provide insight into neurodegenerative processes that lead to loss of learning and memory in humans.

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c. elegans positive butanone learning, short-term, and long-term associative memory assays

The memory of experiences and learned information is critical for organisms to make choices that aid their survival. C. elegans navigates its environment through neuron-specific detection of food and chemical odors1, 2, and can associate nutritive states with chemical odors3, temperature4, and the pathogenicity of a food source5.
Here, we describe assays of C. elegans associative learning and short- and long-term associative memory. We modified an aversive olfactory learning paradigm6 to instead produce a positive response; the assay involves starving ~400 worms, then feeding the worms in the presence of the AWC neuron-sensed volatile chemoattractant butanone at a concentration that elicits a low chemotactic index (similar to Toroyama et al.7). A standard population chemotaxis assay1 tests the worms' attraction to the odorant immediately or minutes to hours after conditioning.
After conditioning, wild-type animals' chemotaxis to butanone increases ~0.6 Chemotaxis Index units, its "Learning Index". Associative learning is dependent on the presence of both food and butanone during training. Pairing food and butanone for a single conditioning period ("massed training") produces short-term associative memory that lasts ~2 hours. Multiple conditioning periods with rest periods between ("spaced training") yields long-term associative memory (&lt;40 hours), and is dependent on the cAMP Response Element Binding protein (CREB),6 a transcription factor required for long-term memory across species.8
Our protocol also includes image analysis methods for quick and accurate determination of chemotaxis indices. High-contrast images of animals on chemotaxis assay plates are captured and analyzed by worm counting software in MatLab. The software corrects for uneven background using a morphological tophat transformation.9 Otsu's method is then used to determine a threshold to separate worms from the background.10 Very small particles are removed automatically and larger non-worm regions (plate edges or agar punches) are removed by manual selection. The software then estimates the size of single worm by ignoring regions that are above a specified maximum size and taking the median size of the remaining regions. The number of worms is then estimated by dividing the total area identified as occupied by worms by the estimated size of a single worm.
We have found that learning and short- and long-term memory can be distinguished, and that these processes share similar key molecules with higher organisms.6,8 Our assays can quickly test novel candidate genes or molecules that affect learning and short- or long-term memory in C. elegans that are relevant across species.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about C. elegans Positive Butanone Learning, Short-term, and Long-term Associative Memory Assays at JoVE.com

C. elegans Positive Butanone Learning, Short-term, and Long-term Associative Memory Assays

Here we describe methods to test C. elegans associative learning and short- and long-term associative memory. These population assays employ the worms abilities to chemotax toward volatile odorants, and form positive associations upon pairing food with the chemoattractant butanone. Increasing the number of conditioning periods induces long-term memory.

C. elegans Positive Butanone Learning, Short-term, and Long-term Associative Memory Assays

The memory of experiences and learned information is critical for organisms to make choices that aid their survival. C. elegans navigates its environment ...

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29.0K Views.  Princeton University. Here we describe methods to test C. elegans associative learning and short- and long-term associative memory. These population assays employ the worms abilities to chemotax toward volatile odorants, and form positive associations upon pairing food with the chemoattractant butanone. Increasing the number of conditioning periods induces long-term memory.