Gene expression in learning processes.

Abstract

It has repeatedly been shown that long-term memory formation involves neuronal gene expression. In this article several different roles for neuronal gene function in a context of learning are considered: maintenance of neural functioning, replenishment of cellular elements that are exhausted in response to massive neuronal stimulation accompanying behavioral training, maintenance of the plastically reorganized neuronal connections, and finally integration of information at the level of transcription factor-promoter interaction. It is strongly advocated that only careful scrutiny of learning-related gene expression phenomena may aid in understanding of the complex learning process.