ausblenden:
Schlagwörter:
Bipolar disorder, DNA methylation, epigenetics, mood stabilizers, DNA methyltransferase, mood disorders, depression
Zusammenfassung:
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a multifactorial illness thought to result from
an interaction between genetic susceptibility and environmental stimuli.
Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, can modulate gene
expression in response to the environment, and therefore might account
for part of the heritability reported for BD. This paper aims to review
evidence of the potential role of DNA methylation in the pathophysiology
and treatment of BD. In summary, several studies suggest that
alterations in DNA methylation may play an important role in the
dysregulation of gene expression in BD, and some actually suggest their
potential use as biomarkers to improve diagnosis, prognosis, and
assessment of response to treatment. This is also supported by reports
of alterations in the levels of DNA methyltransferases in patients and
in the mechanism of action of classical mood stabilizers. In this sense,
targeting specific alterations in DNA methylation represents exciting
new treatment possibilities for BD, and the 'plastic' characteristic of
DNA methylation accounts for a promising possibility of restoring
environment-induced modifications in patients. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd.
All rights reserved.
