Epigenetic Mechanisms in Schizophrenia

8 Epigenetic Mechanisms in Schizophrenia Literature review Over the years, a wide range of studies has been carried out on the subject of epigenetics and the epigenetic mechanism of diseases. Broadly, the term epigenetics refers to the range of mechanisms in genome function that do not solely culminate from the DNA sequence itself (Christopher, Kyle & Katz, 2017). The epigenetic apparatus plays a crucial role in the control of hemostasis and normal development. Further, it provides the means through which an organism can integrate and also react to the environment.

The study of the epigenetic mechanism of schizophrenia has generated remarkable information that can be utilized in the management, treatment, and prevention of this disorder.

Shorter and Miller (2015) noted that at a neuro-pharmacological level, the brain of a person with schizophrenia exhibits a decrease in the number as well as the complexity of various neuronal connections in the cortex. These changes indicate abnormal synaptic pruning in the final stages of neurodevelopment. Shorter and Miller (2015) also made it clear that a reduction in dendritic complexity is synonymous with the cognitive deficits exemplified in schizophrenia.

Evidence shows that irrespective of the lack of unifying neuropathology, a significant proportion of schizophrenia cases are attributed to alterations in gene expression in various sections of the brain including the cerebral cortex (Akbarian, 2014). These alterations often involve transcripts that are crucial for oligodendrocyte myelination and function. Unfortunately, it is not clear if these transcriptional changes are directly associated with the underlying causes or secondary events in the developmental processes of schizophrenia (Akbarian, 2014). Since the transcriptional mechanisms are closely associated with histone modification and chromatin remodeling machinery in the nucleus, it would not be surprising if some of the genes affected by