The neural basis of behavior is identified by systematically manipulating the activity of specific neurons and screening for loss or gain of phenotype. Therefore, robust, high-scoring behavioral assays are necessary for determining the neural circuits of novel behaviors. We report a simple Y-maze design for Drosophila olfactory learning and memory assay. Memory scores in our Y-mazes are considerably better and longer-lasting than scores obtained with commonly used T-mazes. Our results suggest that trapping flies to an odor choice in a Y-maze could improve scores. We postulated that the improved scores could reveal previously undetectable memory traces, enabling the study of underlying neural mechanisms. Indeed, we identified unreported protein synthesis-dependent long-term memories (LTMs), reinforced by ingestion of (1) an aversive compound and (2) a sweet but nonnutritious sugar, both 24 h after training. We also used Y-mazes to probe how using a greater reward may change memory dynamics. Our findings predict that a greater sugar reward may extend existing memory traces or reinforce additional novel ones.

中文翻译：

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陷阱设计 Y 迷宫中增强的嗅觉记忆检测允许研究果蝇中难以察觉的记忆痕迹

通过系统地操纵特定神经元的活动并筛选表型的损失或增加来确定行为的神经基础。因此，稳健、高分的行为分析对于确定新行为的神经回路是必要的。我们报告了一种用于果蝇嗅觉学习和记忆测定的简单 Y 迷宫设计。我们的 Y 迷宫中的记忆分数比常用的 T 迷宫中获得的分数要好得多且持久。我们的结果表明，将苍蝇诱捕到 Y 形迷宫中的气味选择可以提高分数。我们假设，提高的分数可以揭示以前无法检测到的记忆痕迹，从而能够研究潜在的神经机制。事实上，我们发现了未报告的依赖于蛋白质合成的长期记忆（LTM），通过在训练后 24 小时摄入（1）一种令人厌恶的化合物和（2）一种甜味但无营养的糖来强化。我们还使用 Y 迷宫来探讨使用更大的奖励如何改变记忆动态。我们的研究结果预测，更大的糖奖励可能会延长现有的记忆痕迹或强化额外的新记忆痕迹。