New Epigenetic Tools Could Rewrite Our Understanding of Memory and More

During the past decade, advances in research have made clear that epigenetic mechanisms play a particular active role in the brain. For example, scientists have discovered that it is impossible to form and store new memories without epigenetic tags. Others have shown that epigenetic dysregulation is involved in many neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, depression and addiction. “Just about any neuronal phenomenon can be related to the central epigenetic programming of cell differentiation or cell function or information storage,” said a University of Alabama (UAB) professor, whose lab is investigating the effects of epigenetics in learning, memory and addiction. Now, an emerging set of molecular tools is giving scientists the ability to manipulate the epigenome in unprecedented ways. In two recent review papers, published in the journal Dialogues in Clinical Neurosciences, UAB researchers reported on precision epigenetic “editing” techniques, which can add and erase epigenetic marks at specific locations throughout the genome. Researchers are using the tools to gain a deeper understanding of epigenetic mechanisms in health and disease; further discoveries using these tools could pave the way to potential new epigenetic therapies. To read more about this study, click here.