Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
Epilepsy Curr. 2012 May;12(3):105-10. doi: 10.5698/1535-7511-12.3.105.
Epigenetic mechanisms are regulatory processes that control gene expression changes involved in multiple aspects of neuronal function, including central nervous system development, synaptic plasticity, and memory. Recent evidence indicates that dysregulation of epigenetic mechanisms occurs in several human epilepsy syndromes. Despite this discovery of a potential role for epigenetic mechanisms in epilepsy, few studies have fully explored their contribution to the process of epilepsy development known as epileptogenesis. The purpose of this article is to discuss recent findings suggesting that the process of epileptogenesis may alter the epigenetic landscape, affecting the gene expression patterns observed in epilepsy. Future studies focused on a better characterization of these aberrant epigenetic mechanisms hold the promise of revealing novel treatment options for the prevention and even the reversal of epilepsy.
表观遗传机制是一种调控过程，可控制涉及神经元功能多个方面的基因表达变化，包括中枢神经系统发育、突触可塑性和记忆。最近的证据表明，表观遗传机制在几种人类癫痫综合征中失调。尽管发现表观遗传机制在癫痫中可能具有潜在作用，但很少有研究充分探讨它们对癫痫发生过程（即癫痫发生）的贡献。本文的目的是讨论最近的发现，这些发现表明癫痫发生过程可能改变表观遗传景观，影响癫痫中观察到的基因表达模式。未来集中于更好地描述这些异常表观遗传机制的研究有望揭示新的治疗选择，用于预防甚至逆转癫痫。
