Figure 1.

Neural activity can have broad effects on the presentation of neurons, both through altered genetic expression and changes to its structure and function. Genetically, neural activity and stimulation can cause epigenetic changes that alter the accessibility of specific genes to genetic transcription. Also, the can induce double stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) at specific sites of the genome, which can result in more stable and enhanced transcription and ultimately, through a wide variety of mechanisms including transcription factors and IEGs, can rapidly induce transcriptional changes that alter a neuron's overall genetic expression. Neural activity and stimulation can ultimately cause plasticity changes, both morphological and synaptic, through such transcriptional changes as well as in response to neurotransmitters and other signaling mechanisms.