Learning performances and aging in cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis).

The use of an associative learning protocol with negative reinforcement allowed us to compare the performances of three groups of animals: young, middle-aged, and senescent. Statistical analysis of the results does not enable us to assert that a significant difference exists between the learning speeds of young and senescent animals. On the other hand however, the latter show poor scores in a retention test carried out 24 h after the learning session. These results suggest that the long-term memory processes are affected during the aging of these animals.