

Brain study is one of the complex and intriguing concepts researchers tend to explore further. Brain lateralization has been identified in various life forms. The ability to compartmentalize functions amplifies neural efficiency and behavioral coordination. Hence, the Lymnaea stagnalis (pond snail) qualifies as a valuable prototype in neurobiology.
Lymnaea stagnalis: A Model for Neurobiological Research
Its accessible nervous system not only serves as a suitable model for mating behaviors but also assists in deep dive analysis on learning and memory. Recent research has further broadened the scope of studying molecular mechanisms related to memory formation and the effects of aging on neural circuits.
Study funded by the Nuffield Foundation
The study by Hayley Frend, who is a student in the School of Biology, was published today in the Royal Society Journal Biology Letters.
With a grant of £1,500 from the Nuffield Foundation, Hayley Frend has shown that just like humans the pond snail is genetically programmed to use the left or right handed side of its brain to perform different tasks.
In the past it was naively presumed that only humans use different sides of their brains to carry out different tasks. Research has since shown that some vertebrates, such as fish, can use their brains in this way. And recently it has been shown that behavioural handedness is not just confined to vertebrates.
Hayley spent the summer in the laboratories at the Institute of Genetics studying the sex life and genetics of the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. She has established that just like humans, snails also tend to have brains that produce ‘handed’ behavior.
Maternal Inheritance and Chirality
Her work, under the supervision of lecturer, Dr Angus Davison has shown that a handedness of the pond snail in their mating behavior is matched by an asymmetry in the brain which is pre-programmed by its mother’s genes.
The pond snail nearly always has a right handed (dextral) to its shell but sometimes it is left handed (sinistral). As dextral snails circle anticlockwise and sinistral snails circle clockwise, an unusual consequence is that two ‘mirror image’ snails will circle in different directions and are frequently unable to mate.
Hayley’s Supervisor, Dr Angus Davison said: “It never fails to surprise me how research on a mere pond snail can contribute to an understanding of the way our own brain works. Lots of new research, not just my lab, is showing that the effective functioning of the brain, whether they are human, fish or invertebrates, requires that the separate halves of the brain dedicate themselves to separate functions. If this specialisation has evolved multiple times, then it is clearly a very important one for animals.”
Hayley said: “It was an invaluable experience for me to work in the lab over the summer, but I never expected that my work would be published so rapidly. I am so excited!”
The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charity committed to the careers of young scientists. Nottingham’s two science bursary schemes offer the opportunity for school and college pupils and undergraduates to gain an insight into the world of research through summer research placements.
The work was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, but the views expressed are those of the grant holder and not those of the Foundation.
Broader Implications in Invertebrate Studies
Due to the intricacies in the findings related to the Lymnaea stagnalis, further investigations into lateralization across invertebrates have been carried out. For instance, the study on bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) has revealed a preference for using the right antenna in odor detection and learning tasks through the lateralized olfactory processing. These studies have proven to emphasize brain asymmetry in diverse species.
Genetic and Environmental Interplay
Environmental factors influence lateralization development along with genetics. It has been observed that both innate and external factors contribute to behavioral lateralization in Drosophila melanogaster. Such findings stress the complexity of neural development and the interaction between genes and environment in molding behavior.
Through the pond snail study, we have explored the effects of brain lateralization beyond vertebrates. Researchers can identify the origins of neural asymmetry, which assists in studying neurological processes crucial to human health.
Original Publication
Angus Davison, Hayley T Frend, Camile Moray, Hannah Wheatley, Laura J Searle and Markus P Eichhorn
Journal: Biology Letters (The Royal Society)
Subject of Research: Animal Behaviour
Article Title: Mating behaviour in Lymnaea stagnalis pond snails is a maternally inherited, lateralized trait
Article Publication Date: 11-Nov-2008
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2008.0528