Single-cell analysis of habituation in Stentor coeruleus.

ABSTRACT: Although learning is often viewed as a unique feature of organisms with complex nervous systems, single-celled organisms also demonstrate basic forms of learning. The giant ciliate Stentor coeruleus responds to mechanical stimuli by contracting into a compact shape, presumably as a defense mechanism. When a Stentor cell is repeatedly stimulated at a constant level of force, it will learn to ignore that stimulus but will still respond to stronger stimuli. Prior studies of habituation in Stentor reported a graded response, suggesting that cells transition through a continuous range of response probabilities. By analyzing single cells using an automated apparatus to deliver calibrated stimuli, we find that habituation occurs via a single step-like switch in contraction probability within each

SUBMITTER: Rajan D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9877177 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature