Molecular Mechanisms of Learning and Memory

Learning and memory are two closely related phenomena that allow living beings to acquire new knowledge of the world and to retain it. They shape the individual personality and relationship with the world outside. Memory's molecular mechanisms are highly conserved among different species ranging from Drosophila to humans. In this chapter, we will address questions such as how the brain memorizes new information, and what memories are made of. To answer these questions, we will examine the cellular, electrophysiological, and molecular processes underlying hippocampus-dependent declarative memory with a focus on the role of the transcription factor, cAMP responsive element-binding protein, and histone acetylation in this process.