Epigenetic Regulation of Age-Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Neuropsychiatric disorders are characterized by cognitive, emotional and behavioral aberrations, and inability to adapt to environmental demands. Chronological ageingAgeing of an individual as well as biological ageingAgeing of the brain shows strong association with these disorders primarily anxietyAnxiety, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder. Accumulating evidence suggests that genetic predispositions along with psychosocial stressors and lifestyle habits accelerates brain ageingBrain ageing and risk for psychiatric disorders. Despite a global health burden, age-associated psychiatric ailments lack objective assessments and interventionsInterventions, and requires understanding of the cellular and molecular underpinnings. EpigeneticEpigenetics modifications including DNA methylation, histone post translational modifications and non-coding RNAs have been considered as biological indicators of brain ageingBrain ageing. Also, psychiatric disorders resulting from gene x environment interactions are strongly influenced by epigeneticEpigenetics machineries. Therefore, studies in experimental models and longitudinal human cohorts have investigated epigeneticEpigenetics correlates of neuropsychiatric disorders to address their role in advancing brain ageingBrain ageing as well as higher prevalence in geriatric population. The present chapter discusses the pathophysiology and epigeneticEpigenetics regulatory mechanisms of age associated neuropsychiatric disorders.