Nuclear Rna Changes of Nerve Cells During a Learning Experiment in Rats

Purine-pyrimidine analyses were carried out on nuclear RNA and cytoplasmic RNA of neurons from rats subjected to a learning experiment during which established a pattern of sensory and motor abilities. Concomitantly, the adenine/uracil ratio of the nuclear RNA increased significantly as well as an increased amount of RNAper nerve cell. Control experiments excluded the possibility that the chemical changes observed in the nuclear RNA of the nerve cell were due to demands on the neural function per se. The nuclear RNA changes during learning were interpreted as an activation of regions on the chromosomes to produce nuclear (chromosomal) RNA with highly specific base ratios. (Author)