Brain RNA synthesis and the retention of learning through metamorphosis in Tenebrio obscurus (Insecta: Coleoptera).

1. Neurochemical events associated with the retention of learning through metamorphosis in the tenebrionid beetle, Tenebrio obscurus, were investigated. 2. Retention of learning of a complex maze task was demonstrated for this species. 3. Learning was accompanied by a significant increase in RNA synthesis within the corpora pedunculata of both larval and adult stages of this holometabolous insect. 4. The implications of these results to the development of the insect CNS during various life cycle stages and the conservation of neural organization within those brain regions associated with the consolidation and storage of experiential information are discussed.