Topic: MBON-02

Motor learning, skill-learning or habit formation share conceptual similarities, but it is debated how much biology these processes have in common. There is genetic evidence linking motor learning and habit formation in flies, song-learning in birds and language acquisition in humans to an evolutionary conserved operant self-learning process. Here we show different biological manipulations of Drosophila that all enhance motor learning. Mutations in genes involved in classical conditioning, such as rutabaga or radish, enhance motor learning. Overexpression of an operant learning gene, atypical