Mushroom Bodies - Function

Function

Mushroom bodies are largest in the Hymenoptera, which are known to have particularly elaborate control over olfactory behaviours. However, since mushroom bodies are found in anosmic primitive insects, their function cannot be solely to process olfactory cues. Indeed, anatomical investigations suggest that these structures may process visual and mechanosensory input in some species.

Mushroom bodies are known to be involved in learning and memory, particularly for smell, and thus are the subject of current intense research. In larger insects, research suggests that mushroom bodies have other learning and memory functions, like associative memory, sensory filtering, motor control, and place memory. Studies imply that mushroom bodies generally act as a sort of coincidence detector, integrating different inputs and creating novel associations, thus illuminating their role in learning and memory.

Comparisons between genes early in mushroom body development show a homology with similar developing genes in the forebrain of mammals, and thus they have been compared to the mammalian cerebral cortex. Because they are small compared to the brain structures of vertebrates, and yet many arthropods are capable of quite complex learning, it is hoped that investigations of the mushroom bodies will allow a clear view of the neurophysiology of animal cognition. The most recent research is also beginning to reveal the genetic control of processes within the mushroom bodies. This research can help us understand the process of learning and memory by viewing neuronal changes and activity in the well-understood mushroom bodies of species like drosophila melanogaster.