Effects of Glutamate and Acetylcholine on Foraging Behaviors of Dugesia sp.

Planarians are one of the most primitive groups of organisms to have developed acentral nervous system, being a useful model for neurological research. This experiment focused on the foraging behavior of Dugesia sp., a freshwater planarian under the treatment of different concentrations of exogenous neurotransmitters glutamate and acetylcholine. The average velocities of planarians showed dose-related decreasing trends when acetylcholine was applied, while an overall increase was observed in all glutamate groups. Thus, the results suggested the role of the two neurotransmitters in regulating planarian motility, meanwhile providing insights towards the evolution of vertebrates