Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Summer 2019 Behavioral and Molecular Analysis of Memory in the Dwarf Cuttlefish Jessica M. Bowers Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Part of the Behavioral Neurobiology Commons, and the Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons Recommended Citation Bowers, Jessica M., "Behavioral and Molecular Analysis of Memory in the Dwarf Cuttlefish" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1954. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1954 This thesis (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. BEHAVIORAL AND MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF MEMORY IN THE DWARF CUTTLEFISH by JESSICA BOWERS (Under the Direction of Vinoth Sittaramane) ABSTRACT Complex memory has evolved because it benefits animals in all areas of life, such as remembering the location of food or conspecifics, and learning to avoid dangerous stimuli. Advances made by studying relatively simple nervous systems, such as those in gastropod mollusks, can now be used to study mechanisms of memory in more complex systems. Cephalopods offer a unique opportunity to study the mechanisms of memory in a complex invertebrates. The dwarf cuttlefish, Sepia bandensis, is a useful memory model because its fast development and small size allows it to be reared and tested in large numbers. However, primary literature regarding the behavior and neurobiology of this species is lacking.