Ever since the human genome project has been completed, it became clear that a surprisingly small number of human genes generated the immense diversity of proteins composing our body. Alternative splicing has emerged as a key explanation for this expanded diversity. This cut-and-paste mechanism can yield numerous proteins from one gene, depending on the cell type, its development state and the external environment. Of note, both normal aging and psychological stress reactions modify the alternative splicing process in brain neurons, and miss-splicing of alternative genomic sequences is increasingly recognized as a frequent cause and consequence of human disease, especially in the nervous system. In this book we describe research work in which we explored the role(s) of alternative splicing in controlling neuronal development and neurotransmission processes and in altering behavior, using recent techniques in molecular genetics and transgenic engineering. By linking genes, proteins and behavioral concepts together, a future application could be the development of a blood test diagnostic application for the assessment of one's anxiety level at the time of measurement.

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