Study: Genes required for learning originated around 650 million years ago

A recent study published in Nature Communications reveals that genes responsible for learning, memory, aggression, and other intricate behaviors can be traced back to approximately 650 million years ago. The research was carried out by a team of scientists from the University of Leicester (United Kingdom) and the University of Fribourg (Switzerland).

Led by Dr. Roberto Feuda and her colleagues in Switzerland, the study employed computational techniques to reconstruct the evolutionary history of these genes. Dr. Feuda stated that neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and adrenaline have long been recognized as neuromodulators involved in complex behaviors, learning, memory, as well as sleep and feeding processes.

However, the origin of the genes responsible for the production, detection, and breakdown of these neurotransmitters has been uncertain. To shed light on this matter, the researchers employed computational models to trace the evolutionary trajectory of these genes and found that their reception originated in the bilaterian stem group.

Moreover, the study proposes that this novel method of modulating neuronal circuits could have played a role in the Cambrian Explosion, a period characterized by the remarkable diversification of life forms on Earth. This explosion, also known as the Big Bang, contributed to the emergence of various animal groups existing today.

The researchers further suggest that this new mode of flexible neural circuit modulation may have facilitated interaction with the environment during the Cambrian Explosion. Dr. Feuda emphasizes that these findings have significant implications for understanding the evolutionary origins of complex behaviors, which are modulated by neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and adrenaline, observed in both humans and other animals.

Furthermore, this discovery may enhance our understanding of the Cambrian Explosion, a period between 541 million and approximately 530 million years ago, characterized by a rapid proliferation of life forms. The research may also pave the way for unraveling the origins of more complex behaviors such as addiction and aggression.

Dr. Feuda believes that this breakthrough will lead to important research avenues that will elucidate the origins of complex behaviors and determine whether the same neurons modulate reward, addiction, aggression, feeding, and sleep.