Protein kinase signaling in synaptic plasticity and memory.

The relay of extracellular signals into changes in cellular physiology involves a Byzantine array of intracellular signaling pathways, of which cytoplasmic protein kinases are a crucial component. In the nervous system, a great deal of effort has focused on understanding the conversion of patterns of synaptic activity into long-lasting changes in synaptic efficacy that are thought to underlie memory. The goal is both to understand synaptic plasticity mechanisms, such as long-term potentiation, at a molecular level and to understand the relationship of these synaptic mechanisms to behavioral memory. Although both involve the activation of multiple signaling pathways, recent studies are beginning to define discrete roles and mechanisms for individual kinases in the different temporal phases of both synaptic and behavioral plasticity.