GENES AND MEMORY

The characterization of the molecular mechanisms whereby our brain codes, stores and retrieves memories remains a fundamental puzzle in neuroscience. Despite the knowledge that memory storage involves gene induction, the identification and characterization of the effector genes has remained elusive. The completion of the Human Genome Project and a variety of new technologies are revolutionizing the way these mechanisms can be explored. In this review we illustrate how DNA microarray-based gene expression profiling may help to dissect and analyze the complex mechanisms involved in gene regulation during the acquisition and storage of memory in the mammalian brain.