title: GTP-binding proteins and potassium channels involved in synaptic plasticity and learning.
abstract: Inhibition of potassium channels is possibly the first step in the sequence of biochemical events leading to memory formation. These channels appear to be regulated directly or indirectly by GTP-binding proteins (G proteins), which may themselves be affected by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in response to elevated calcium levels or other phenomena resulting from the blockage of the potassium channels. A wide variety of cellular phenomena, from transcriptional changes to axonal transport, are thus capable of being initiated by these events.
authors.affiliation: Neural Systems Section, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Alkon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011188:Potassium / Q000502:physiology*; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D015221:Potassium Channels; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium