title: Epigenetics components of aging in the central nervous system.
abstract: This review highlights recent discoveries that have shaped the emerging viewpoints in the field of epigenetic influences in the central nervous system (CNS), focusing on the following questions: (i) How is the CNS shaped during development when precursor cells transition into morphologically and molecularly distinct cell types, and is this event driven by epigenetic alterations?; ii) How do epigenetic pathways control CNS function?; (iii) What happens to "epigenetic memory" during aging processes, and do these alterations cause CNS dysfunction?; (iv) Can one restore normal CNS function by manipulating the epigenome using pharmacologic agents, and will this ameliorate aging-related neurodegeneration? These and other still unanswered questions remain critical to understanding the impact of multifaceted epigenetic machinery on the age-related dysfunction of CNS.
authors.affiliation: Buck Institute for Research on Aging, 8001 Redwood Boulevard, Novato, CA, 94945-1400, USA.
authors.forename: Yue-Qiang
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: I King
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: Victoria V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Lunyak
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*