Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Perspectives on Neuroscience
Published on: July 31, 2007
From the search for a molecular code of memory to the role of neurotransmitters: a historical perspective
1Vulnérabilité, Adaptation et Psychopathologie, CNRS UMR 7593, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 91 Bd de 1'Hôpital, 75634 Paris 13, France. chapout@ext.jussieu.fr
Abstract:
The history of the neurochemistry of mnesic processes can be divided into two main periods: the first (1946-1978) was inspired by the results of molecular genetics, providing evidence for storage of hereditary information in the DNA of genes. Therefore, the chemical bases for memory were investigated in the macromolecules of the brain. Such attempts were relatively unsuccessful, which led to a second period (starting in 1978) with the research emphasizing, in a less ambitious way, the role of the molecular correlates of mnesic processes, in particular in the main transmitter systems of the brain.
Related Concept Videos
Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory
Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
Glutamate, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, is critical for...
Storage
Understanding Memory
Neurotransmitters
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

