Differential contribution of pyramidal cells and interneurons to activity-dependent gene transcription changes.

The type of neuronal activity determines the outcome of gene expression. Hence, the characterization of underlying mechanisms in transcriptome alterations may serve as a biomarker and provide new intervention methods for the treatment of pathologic conditions. Parrish et al. (Parrish RR, Codadu NK, Racca C, Trevelyan AJ. J Neurophysiol 120: 2358-2367, 2018) show that the changes in interneuronal gene transcription are correlated with the type of the activated neuronal population and that the initiation route of Ras/ERK MAPK pathway determines the polarity of the gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]