title: Molecular neurobiology for practicing psychiatrists, part 4: transferring the message of chemical neurotransmission from presynaptic neurotransmitter to postsynaptic gene expression.
abstract: Neurotransmitters activate genes in their target neurons by precipitating a molecular cascade, which may be the ultimate consequence of chemical neurotransmission. When this transfer is aberrant, a mental disorder may be manifest. When drugs act upon neurons to change gene expression, this could lead to therapeutic actions, side effects, and the long-term consequences of drug abuse.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience Research Center, Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, USA.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Stahl
mesh_terms: D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents