Abstract

Neuroscience began an important new chapter in the 1980s when it was demonstrated that the induction of cFos occurred in response to the stimulation of acetylcholine receptors in neuron-like cells. Transcription of cfos commenced within minutes and involved an influx of extracellular Ca2+ through voltage-sensitive calcium channels. Neuronal activity in many neuron types and brain regions led to the induction of many genes on various time scales. The first to be activated were immediate early genes (IEGs), including the Fos family cfos, fosB, fra1, fra2, and several isoforms. A short form of fosB called ΔFosB resisted degradation and was thought to play a role in inducing changes in addiction-related neurons. The protein products of many IEGs act as transcription factors important in neurons of the central nervous system for their roles in neuronal plasticity, exemplified by learning and memory, addiction and several neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression. This article describes experimental data and the biochemical processes underlying the pathways that lead to such transcription as a prelude to modeling.