Discovery of Novel Gene-Regulating Molecule (Transcription Factor) that Mediates Effects of Stress
With support from a 1996 Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Grant, Eric J. Nestler, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues identified a novel transcription factor that determines the long-lasting consequences of stress and of several classes of antipsychotic medications on the brain. Transcription factors are proteins that control which genes are turned on or off in the genome. The team found that first and second-generation antipsychotic medications induce the transcription factor, DeltaFosB, in several brain regions including regions of the prefrontal cortex.