Learning is critical for survival as it provides the capacity to adapt to a changing environment. At the molecular and cellular level, learning leads to alterations within neural circuits that include synaptic rewiring and synaptic plasticity. These changes are mediated by signalling molecules known as neuromodulators. One such class of neuromodulators are neuropeptides, a diverse group of short peptides that primarily act through G protein-coupled receptors. There has been substantial progress in recent years on dissecting the role of neuropeptides in learning circuits using compact yet powerful invertebrate model systems. We will focus on insights gained using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, with its unparalleled genetic tractability, compact nervous system of ∼300 neurons, high level of conservation with mammalian systems and amenability to a suite of behavioural analyses. Specifically, we will summarise recent discoveries in C. elegans on the role of neuropeptides in non-associative and associative learning.

学习对于生存至关重要，因为它提供了适应不断变化的环境的能力。在分子和细胞水平上，学习导致神经回路内的变化，包括突触重新连接和突触可塑性。这些变化是由称为神经调节剂的信号分子介导的。一类这样的神经调节剂是神经肽，它们是主要通过G蛋白偶联受体起作用的各种短肽。近年来，在使用紧凑但功能强大的无脊椎动物模型系统剖析神经肽在学习回路中的作用方面取得了实质性进展。我们将重点介绍使用线虫秀丽隐杆线虫获得的见解，它具有无与伦比的遗传易处理性，约300个神经元的紧凑神经系统，与哺乳动物系统的高度保守性以及对一系列行为分析的接受能力。具体来说，我们将总结秀丽隐杆线虫对神经肽在非联想和联想学习中的作用的最新发现。