Roles of Neuronal Activity-Induced Gene Products in Hebbian and Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity, Tagging, and Capture

The efficiency of synaptic transmission undergoes plastic modification in response to changes in input activity. This phenomenon is most commonly referred to as synaptic plasticity and can involve different cellular mechanisms over time. In the short term, typically in the order of minutes to 1 h, synaptic plasticity is mediated by the actions of locally existing proteins. In the longer term, the synthesis of new proteins from existing or newly synthesized mRNAs is required to maintain the changes in synaptic transmission. Many studies have attempted to identify genes induced by neuronal activity and to elucidate the functions of the encoded proteins. In this chapter, we describe our current understanding of how activity can regulate the synthesis of new proteins, how the distribution of the newly synthesized protein is regulated in relation to the synapses undergoing plasticity and the function of these proteins in both Hebbian and homeostatic synaptic plasticity.