Helix aspersa and related species offer a wealth of options for teaching fundamental concepts of neuroscience to undergraduates. These animals are behaviorally complex, sensitive to an array of drugs, and have nervous systems that are relatively easy to dissect and histologically characterize.

We have made increasing use of Helix aspersa in laboratory components of Research Methods in the Behavioral Sciences, largely for Psychology majors, and Behavioral Neuroscience, largely for Neuroscience majors. Students find them entertaining to study. The snails are inexpensive to acquire and maintain. A growing body of research regarding this and related species serves as a resource for instructor- and student-initiated projects. The CD-ROM Lab Manual Crawdad by Wyttenbach, Johnson, & Hoy (Sinauer) provides clear instructions for Helix aspersa projects involving dissection, histology, and neurophysiology.

A range of phenomena have been examined in pulmonate snails, including: active and passive avoidance; escape; nociception; opioid and non-opioid antinociception; sensitization; habituation; positive and negative appetitive learning; lateralization of learning; circadian rhythms; and mating. Research has begun to reveal the functional neuroanatomy and neuropharmacology of many of the preceding. Neurotransmitter systems thus far characterized include: acetylcholine, GABA, glycine, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, histamine, and several peptides.

Here, we overview published literature, technical/educational resources, and our in-house laboratory exercises.

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