Experimental data for the article submitted to Biomolecules

Memory is generally thought to be stored within centralized neural circuits; however, whether learned behaviors can persist in the absence of a brain remains unresolved. Planaria (Girardia spp.) possess a primitive cephalic ganglion and a remarkable capacity for regeneration, providing a unique system to examine non-cephalic memory retention. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether sucrose-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) is retained in posterior, brainless planarian fragments. Planaria were trained using a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm in which an initially unpreferred surface was paired with a 10% sucrose solution, resulting in a robust shift in surface preference. Following decapitation, both anterior fragments containing the cephalic ganglion and posterior fragments lacking the brain preserved the conditioned preference, demonstrating that addictive memory is stored even outside the cephalic nervous system. As a secondary objective, we examined the role of dopaminergic reinforcement using a D1 dopamine receptor antagonist during training. While antagonist-treated planaria failed to develop CPP, decapitated posterior fragments likewise showed no conditioned preference, indicating that dopamine-dependent signaling is essential for sucrose-associated memory formation across the body. These results provide evidence that addiction-like memory in planaria is distributed beyond the brain and can be modulated by dopaminergic pathways, highlighting the utility of this model for exploring fundamental mechanisms of reward, memory, and potential pharmacological interventions.