title: Cognitive neuroepigenetics: the next evolution in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory?
abstract: A complete understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of learning and memory continues to elude neuroscientists. Although many important discoveries have been made, the question of how memories are encoded and maintained at the molecular level remains. To date, this issue has been framed within the context of one of the most dominant concepts in molecular biology, the central dogma, and the result has been a protein-centric view of memory. Here we discuss the evidence supporting a role for neuroepigenetic mechanisms, which constitute dynamic and reversible, state-dependent modifications at all levels of control over cellular function, and their role in learning and memory. This neuroepigenetic view suggests that DNA, RNA and protein each influence one another to produce a holistic cellular state that contributes to the formation and maintenance of memory, and predicts a parallel and distributed system for the consolidation, storage and retrieval of the engram.
authors: Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA 92697.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Marshall
authors: Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA 92697; Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia 4072.
authors: Timothy W
authors: TW
authors: Bredy
keywords: DNA editing; DNA modifications; DNA structure; RNA editing; epigenetics; epitranscriptomics; learning; memory; neuroepigenetics