GENE TARGETING AND THE BIOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MEMORY

The general goal of genetic studies of learning and memory is to devel op and test theories that explain the animal's behavior in neuroanatom ical, neurophysiological, cellular, and molecular terms. In this revie w we describe the role that gene targeting and other transgenic techni ques have had in the study of mammalian learning and memory, We focus especially on the hippocampus, a brain structure that is thought to be central to the processing and temporary storage of complex informatio n. We also discuss the main issues that confront this young field, as well as our vision for its future.