10.6084/m9.figshare.5414506.v1 Li Li Li Li HaDi MaBouDi HaDi MaBouDi Michaela Egertová Michaela Egertová Maurice R. Elphick Maurice R. Elphick Lars Chittka Lars Chittka Clint J. Perry Clint J. Perry Supplementary Data for all experiments and analyses from A possible structural correlate of learning performance on a colour discrimination task in the brain of the bumblebee The Royal Society 2017 bumblebee inter-individual learning differences microglomeruli mushroom bodies synaptic plasticity visual learning 2017-09-18 09:26:01 Journal contribution https://rs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplementary_Data_for_all_experiments_and_analyses_from_A_possible_structural_correlate_of_learning_performance_on_a_colour_discrimination_task_in_the_brain_of_the_bumblebee/5414506 Synaptic plasticity is considered to be the basis for learning and memory. However, the relationship between synapses and individual differences in learning and memory is poorly understood. Here, we explored how the density of microglomeruli (synaptic complexes) within specific regions of the bumblebee (<i>Bombus terrestris</i>) brain relates to both visual learning and inter-individual differences in learning and memory performance on a visual discrimination task. Using whole-brain immunolabelling, we measured the density of microglomeruli in the collar region (visual association areas) of the mushroom bodies of the bumblebee brain. We found that bumblebees that made fewer errors during training in a visual discrimination task had higher microglomerular density. Similarly, bumblebees that had better retention of the learned colour/reward associations 2 days after training had higher microglomerular density. Further experiments indicated experience-dependent changes in neural circuitry: learning a colour-reward contingency with 10 colours (but not two colours) does result, and exposure to many different colours may result, in changes to microglomerular density in the collar region of the mushroom bodies. These results reveal the varying roles that visual experience, visual learning and foraging activity have on neural structure. Although our study does not provide a causal link between microglomerular density and performance, the observed positive correlations provide new insights for future studies into how neural structure may relate to inter-individual differences in learning and memory.