Early genomics of learning and memory: a review.

The characterization of the molecular mechanisms whereby our brain codes, stores and retrieves memories remains a fundamental puzzle in neuroscience. Despite the knowledge that memory storage involves gene induction, the identification and characterization of the effector genes has remained elusive. The completion of the Human Genome Project and a variety of new technologies are revolutionizing the way these mechanisms can be explored. This review will examine how a genomic approach can be used to dissect and analyze the complex dynamic interactions involved in gene regulation during learning and memory. This innovative approach is providing information on a new class of genes associated with learning and memory in health and disease and is elucidating new molecular targets and pathways whose pharmacological modulation may allow new therapeutic approaches for improving cognition.

Adding semantics to gene expression profiles: new tools for drug discovery.

Gene expression profiles are unveiling a wealth of new potential drug targets for a wide range of diseases, offering new opportunities for drug discoveries. The emerging challenge, however, is the effective selection of the myriad of targets to identify those with the most therapeutic utility. Numerical clustering has became a commonly used method to investigate and interpret gene expression data sets but it is often inadequate to infer the genes' and proteins' role and point to candidate genes for drug development. This review illustrates how clustering methods based on semantic characteristics, such as gene ontologies, could be used to extract more knowledge from genomic data and improve drug target and discovery processes.