Honey Bees on Cocaine Change Ideas about the Insect Brain

Gavin Hudson — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 16:51:38 +0000

By doping honey bees with cocaine, researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered evidence that the insect brain has a reward system.

The famous “waggle” dance of honey bees is a complex language that allows foraging bees to communicate the distance, direction and quality of a food source to the rest of the hive. The study showed that honey bees on cocaine tend to dance more, without relation to the quality of food or state of the hive. Given the effects of cocaine on people, hyperactivity may seem like a fairly obvious reaction. However, the implications of the study suggest something that has not been found before: a reward system in the insect brain.

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Honey Bees on Cocaine Change Ideas about the Insect Brain

By doping honey bees with cocaine, researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered evidence that the insect brain has a reward system.