The many faces of CREB.

The transcription factor CREB is best known for its involvement in learning and memory. However, emerging evidence suggests that CREB activity has very different roles--sometimes beneficial, sometimes detrimental--depending on the brain region involved. Induction of CREB in the hippocampus by antidepressant treatments could contribute to their therapeutic efficacy. By contrast, activation of CREB in the nucleus accumbens and several other regions by drugs of abuse or stress mediates certain aspects of drug addiction, and depressive and anxiety-like behaviors. These complexities suggest that strategies that exploit regional differences in upstream factors or that target specific CREB-regulated genes, rather than CREB itself, could make a promising contribution to the treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions.