Anabela Relvas - Research.pdf

This research explores how ultraviolet (UV) radiation disrupts memory formation during adolescence by inducing DNA damage, using <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> larvae as a model system. Focusing on the larval stage corresponding to adolescence, the study examined how UV exposure affected associative memory using an olfactory conditioning paradigm. Our results showed that UV-irradiated larvae exhibited significantly reduced performance in memory assays, indicating that DNA damage incurred during this critical period interferes with the neural processes necessary for memory encoding and retrieval. This suggests a potential mechanism by which environmental genotoxic stressors impair cognitive development in adolescents with implications for understanding how early-life exposures might affect learning and brain health in humans.