NUCLEAR RNA CHANGES OF NERVE CELLS DURING A LEARNING EXPERIMENT IN RATS

Abstract

Purine-pyrimidine analyses were carried out on nuclear RNA and cytoplasmic RNA of neurons from rats subjected to a learning experiment during which there was established a pattern of sensory and motor abilities. Concomitantly, the adenine/uracil ratio of the nucelar RNA increased significantly and there are also an in- creased amount of RNA per 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.