Brain Activity Triggers Widespread Epigenetic Changes

A brief burst of electrical stimulation can induce widespread changes to the chemical markings on DNA that affect its expression, according to a study published 28 August in Nature Neuroscience.The finding upends the conventional wisdom that methyl groups added to DNA are permanent fixtures in a mature cell. These so-called epigenetic changes, which help switch genes on and off, have been implicated in a host of diseases, including autism.The new study shows that in neurons in the adult mouse brain, brain cell activity can cause rapid methylation or demethylation at more than one percent of DNA methylation sites."These epigenetic marks are not as stable as we used to think," notes lead investigator Hongjun Song, professor of neurology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "They're very dynamic and can be changed by neuronal activity."Read more at...SFARI, September 2011.