Mechanisms mediating the production of environmentally induced brain changes.

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Abstract
As yet there is no satisfactory explanation of the mechanisms mediating the anatomical and biochemical brain changes induced by exposing animals to environments rich in sensory stimuli. A fundamental mechanism may be the arousal response, since alterations in arousal appear to be concomitants of all such environmentally-induced changes. The properties of the arousal reaction are discussed in terms of their possible relationship to the neurological changes induced, and evidence is presented that this mechanism may be common to several areas of environmental stimulation research which have previously been thought of as separate investigative fields. Several possible tests of the hypothesis are presented, and an underlying cellular response sequence transducing electrical into biosynthetic activity is discussed.