Episodic-like memory is preserved with age in cuttlefish
Open accessAbstract
Episodic memory, remembering past experiences based on unique what–where–when components, declines during ageing in humans, as does episodic-like memory in non-human mammals. By contrast, semantic memory, remembering learnt knowledge without recalling unique what–where–when features, remains relatively intact with advancing age. The age-related decline in episodic memory likely stems from the deteriorating function of the hippocampus in the brain. Whether episodic memory can deteriorate with age in species that lack a hippocampus is unknown. Cuttlefish are molluscs that lack a hippocampus. We test both semantic-like and episodic-like memory in sub-adults and aged-adults nearing senescence ( n = 6 per cohort). In the semantic-like memory task, cuttlefish had to learn that the location of a food resource was dependent on the time of day. Performance, measured as proportion of correct trials, was comparable across age groups. In the episodic-like memory task, cuttlefish had to solve a foraging task by retrieving what–where–when information about a past event with unique spatio-temporal features. In this task, performance was comparable across age groups; however, aged-adults reached the success criterion (8/10 correct choices in consecutive trials) significantly faster than sub-adults. Contrary to other animals, episodic-like memory is preserved in aged cuttlefish, suggesting that memory deterioration is delayed in this species.
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In a what-where-when study, the performance at test of aged-adult cuttlefish did not differ from sub-adult cuttlefish.
“However, in a what–where–when study the performance at test of aged-adult cuttlefish did not differ from sub-adult cuttlefish [78]”
From Is episodic-like memory <i>like</i> episodic memory? (2024) · cites this paper as [78]
Some studies use non-natural methodological elements to test for episodic-like memory, such as pecking or approaching shapes or coloured panels, or requiring subjects to recall their own or others' previous actions out of an array of behaviours.
“Some studies, however, use non-natural methodological elements to test for episodic-like memory [75], such as pecking or approaching certain shapes or coloured panels that are presented in front of the subjects [56,78–81], or requiring subjects to recall their own or others’ previous actions out of an array of behaviours [95,96].”
From Is episodic-like memory <i>like</i> episodic memory? (2024) · cites this paper as [78]
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Is episodic-like memory <i>like</i> episodic memory?
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- Authors
- Schnell, A. K., Clayton, N. S., Hanlon, R. T., & Jozet-Alves, C.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Marine Biological Laboratory (US)
- Normandie Univ., UNICAEN, Univ Rennes, CNRS, UMR EthoS 6552, Caen, France
- Corresponding author
- Schnell, Alexandra K.
- Venue
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Published
- 2021-08-18
- Volume
- 288
- Issue
- 1957
- Pages
- 20211052
- ISSN
- 0080-4649 (ISSN-L)
- 0962-8452
- 1471-2954
- PMC
- PMC8370807
- OpenAlex
- W3193663488
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 74
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 5.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- HAL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Apollo
- Funders
- European Research Council
- Grass Foundation
- Royal Society
- Fyssen Foundation
- Australian Government
- Seventh Framework Programme (3399933, FP7/2007)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Cephalopods and Marine Biology
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Keywords
- episodic-like memory, semantic memory, cuttlefish, aging, senescence, memory decline, hippocampus, foraging behavior, spatiotemporal memory, cephalopods, cognitive aging
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain Mapping, Hippocampus, Mental Recall, Decapodiformes, Memory, Episodic
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