Associative Visual and Aversive Food Odor Learning in the American Cockroach, Periplaneta american.

*David D.Lent*, Hyungwook Kwon, and Nicholas J. Strausfeld

Associative learning and aversive conditioning are well-established paradigms in vertebrate behavior experimentation. These paradigms were investigated in an insect, the American cockroach. In the associative learning paradigm restrained cockroaches were conditioned to associate a green light cue (CS) with a source of food (UCS). The antennal projection (UCR-CR) of the cockroaches was measured. Cockroaches learned to associate a light cue with food source; significant association is observed in only 5 trials and memory is observed to last as long as 72 hours. In the aversive conditioning paradigm restrained cockroaches were subjected to aversive and unpaired training with randomized food odors (peanut butter or banana). In the aversive training cockroaches were exposed to a food odor and then immediately quinidine sulfate solution was applied to the labium (taste chemosensor). In the unpaired training, the food odor was presented and the quinidine sulfate solution following a 5 minute interval. Following training the cockroaches were presented the two odor sources (peanut butter and banana), both, which were familiar, and one, which was used in training. It was found that in the aversive condition there was a higher preference for the non-training odor and in the unpaired condition there was no significant odor preference