It is possible for a snail to learn that a certain smell comes from a particularly delicious food, and it will then choose this smell over other smells in the future. For example, a hungry sea snail will move toward the scent of its favorite algae. Simple mollusks, like the snail, exhibit only very simple behaviors. In contrast to snails and clams, cephalopods have an exceptionally developed central brain which allows cephalopods to exhibit complex behaviors that are equal to those of mammals and birds. Cephalopod means “head-foot” in Greek, since the heads of these animals are directly connected to their “legs” ( Figure 1).
Octopi, cuttlefish, and squids are in a group within the mollusks called cephalopods. Octopi, cuttlefish, squids, snails, and clams all belong to the class of animals called mollusks. By comparing the structure and function of the octopus brain to the brains of other animals, we might even obtain clues about the workings of the human brain. In this article, we will tell you how research on the octopus’s brain could help us find answers to these questions.
OCTOPUS BRAIN HOW TO
What are the structures and functions of the brain that are important for complex learning, such as the ability to quickly figure out how to activate a new application in your smartphone? What are the brain mechanisms that allow memories, like the name of your first-grade teacher, to be stored and quickly recalled, even many years later? Which part of the brain generates the creativity and flexibility of thought necessary for learning a new smartphone interface, for example? These questions are some of the most studied in neuroscience, which is the science that studies the brain and nervous system.