There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
Substance use disorders involve long-term changes in the brain that lead to compulsive
drug seeking, craving, and a high probability of relapse. Recent findings have highlighted
the role of epigenetic regulations in controlling chromatin access and regulation
of gene expression following exposure to drugs of abuse. In the present review, we
focus on data investigating genome-wide epigenetic modifications in the brain of addicted
patients or in rodent models exposed to drugs of abuse, with a particular focus on
DNA methylation and histone modifications associated with transcriptional studies.
We highlight critical factors for epigenomic studies in addiction. We discuss new
findings related to psychostimulants, alcohol, opiate, nicotine and cannabinoids.
We examine the possible transmission of these changes across generations. We highlight
developing tools, specifically those that allow investigation of structural reorganization
of the chromatin. These have the potential to increase our understanding of alteration
of chromatin architecture at gene regulatory regions. Neuroepigenetic mechanisms involved
in addictive behaviors could explain persistent phenotypic effects of drugs and, in
particular, vulnerability to relapse.