Spatial considerations for stimulus-dependent transcription in neurons

Most neurons have elaborate dendrites as well as an axon emanating from the cell body that form synaptic connections with one or many target cells, wh ich may be located a considerable distance from the cell body. Such complex and impressive morphologies allow some types of neurons to integrate input s from one to many thousands of pre-synaptic partners and to rapidly propag ate electrical signals, often over long distances, to post-synaptic target cells. Much slower, non-electrical signals also propagate from dendrites an d distal axons to neuronal nuclei that influence survival, growth, and plas ticity. The distances between distal dendrites and/or distal axons and cell bodies of neurons can be hundreds of microns to more than one meter. This long-range biochemical signal propagation from distal dendrites and distal axone to neuronal nuclei is entirely unique to neurons. This review is focu sed on excitatory neurotransmitter signaling from dendritic synapses to neu ronal nuclei as well as on retrograde growth factor signaling from distal a xone to neuronal nuclei.