Epigenetics: Insights into the Molecular Mechanisms of Abnormal and Normal Behavior

Epigenetics refers to regulation of various DNA sequence activities that

are controlled by partially stable modifications of DNA and chromatin.

Putative epigenetic dysregulation may provide a new explanation for a

number of unclear issues in major psychosis and other behavioral

disorders that can not be explained by the traditional DNA

sequence-based paradigm. Such include discordance of monozygotic twins,

sexual dimorphism and parental origin effects, fluctuating course and

sometimes recovery, among others. In addition, numerous molecular

aberrations identified in psychiatric diseases are consistent with

inborn and/or acquired plus age-dependant dynamics of epigenetic

regulation. Apart from abnormal behavior, epigenetic strategies may shed

a new light on the fundamental aspects of normal behavior such as

environmental effects, gene-environment interactions as well as

understanding of the true source of what traditionally has been called

'non-shared environment'.