In this study adult Fischer, inbred rats experienced (1) training to avoid footshock (2) unavoidable footshock or (3) no training or footshock. Each animal was sacrificed at one of several time points (1-60 hours) following experience. Brain chromatin was extracted and used as template for RNA synthesis in vitro. Both groups which received the novel experience demonstrated greater template activity than the unshocked, untrained groups. This effect was brief. The two groups which received the experience did not differ from each other. These results suggest that a brief, novel experience can temporarily alter the transcriptional activity of brain chromatin.