Genes related to learning and memory in the central nervous system

In recent years the genetic and molecular approaches have led to our new understanding on a gene level of the molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. From these studies,it appears that many of the molecules and molecular mechanisms essential for the process of learning and memory have been conserved throughout evolution, and many genes and their products are involved in modulating learning and memory at several distinct points: the receptors on the cell membranes, the signal transduction cascades in the cytoplasm, the transcriptional regulations in the nucleus, and the development of the cells. The existence of genes in Aplysia, Drosophila and rodents in the context of learning and memory of the central nervous system were reviewed in this paper.