Abstract
A major challenge in neurobiology in the 21st century is to understand how the brain adapts with experience. Activity-dependent gene expression is integral to the synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory; however, this process cannot be explained by a simple linear trajectory of transcription to translation within a specific neuronal population. Many other regulatory mechanisms can influence RNA metabolism and the capacity of neurons to adapt. In particular, the RNA modification N(6)-methyladenosine (m(6)A) has recently been shown to regulate RNA processing through alternative splicing, RNA stability, and translation. Here, we discuss the emerging idea that m(6)A could also coordinate the transport, localization, and local translation of key mRNAs in learning and memory and expand on the notion of dynamic functional RNA states in the brain.