A Functional Role for CREB as a Positive Regulator of Memory Formation and LTP

Abstract

cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), a transcription factor, has been shown to play a central role in memory formation, and its involvement in this process has been investigated using a wide range of animal models, from nematodes to higher animals. Various CREB mutant mice have been developed and investigated. Several types of mutant mice with loss of CREB function have impaired memory formation and long-term potentiation (LTP), suggesting that CREB plays essential roles in these processes. To characterize the roles of CREB in memory formation and LTP further, mutant mice displaying gain of CREB function have been generated and analyzed. Importantly, CREB-DIEDML mice and CREB-Y134F mice showed enhanced memory formation, whereas CREB-VP16 mice displayed a lowered threshold of long-lasting LTP (L-LTP) induction, strongly suggesting that CREB functions as a positive regulator of memory formation and LTP. In this review, I focus on the effects of the genetic activation of CREB in LTP and memory formation and summarize previous findings.