The mechanism of memory remains one of the great unsolved problems of biology. Grappling
with the question more than a hundred years ago, the German zoologist Richard Semon …

It is now widely accepted that mRNAs localize to dendrites and that translation of these
mRNAs is regulated in response to neuronal activity. Recent studies have begun to reveal the …

Synaptic plasticity is the experience-dependent change in connectivity between neurons that
is believed to underlie learning and memory. Here, we discuss the cellular and molecular …

Neurons are among the most compartmentalized and interactive of all cell types. Like all cells,
neurons use proteins as the main sensors and effectors. The modification of the proteome …

MAP kinase (ERK) translates cell surface signals into alterations in transcription. We have
found that ERK also regulates hippocampal neuronal excitability during 5 Hz stimulation and …

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is expressed at high levels in hippocampal neurons,
and its expression is modulated by neural activity. Knockout mice can be used to study …

The localization of mRNAs to subcellular compartments provides a mechanism for regulating
gene expression with exquisite temporal and spatial control. Recent studies suggest that a …

The requirement for transcription during long-lasting synaptic plasticity has raised the question
of whether the cellular unit of synaptic plasticity is the soma and its nucleus or the synapse…

Long-term facilitation of the sensory to motor synapse in Aplysia requires gene expression.
While some transcription factors involved in long-term facilitation are phosphorylated by PKA, …

In a culture system where a bifurcated Aplysia sensory neuron makes synapses with two
motor neurons, repeated application of serotonin (5-HT) to one synapse produces a CREB-…