Two different mechanisms have been well known to regulate the amounts of various 
transcripts in response to internal and external environmental stimuli. First, 
by binding of activated transcription factors to DNA regulatory regions 
including the cAMP response element, hormone response element, and activator 
protein-1 region upstream in various genes, the rate of transcription from DNA 
to mRNA is regulated. Secondly, the degradation of some mRNAs related to immune 
responses has been reported to be regulated by binding of RNA-binding proteins 
to adenylate uridylate-rich elements (AU-rich elements, AREs) located in the 
3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). The original study identifying the existence of 
a common regulatory nucleotide sequence in the 3'-UTR of inflammatory mediator 
transcripts pointed out that the AREs are characteristic of immune-related 
functional proteins. The number of transcripts containing AREs in the 3'-UTR has 
increased and several neuronal proteins including beta 2-adrenergic receptor, 
nerve growth factor, tyrosine hydroxylase, and nitric-oxide synthase II, have 
been reported to have AREs. We here reviewed the recent advances in the 
neuropsychopharmacological understanding of post-transcriptional regulation by 
RNA-binding protein and also pointed out the importance of this regulation in 
future studies using various stress paradigms.