Effect of rearrangement in the DNA methylation in the developmental brain on the stress tolerance

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24791196
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: MATSUZAWA Daisuke 千葉大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 講師 (10447302)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: エピジェネティクス / DNAメチル化 / 精神疾患発症脆弱性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It has been suggested that epigenetic alteration such as DNA methylation could be a mechanistic background on the development of psychiatric diseases. DNA methylation in the brain is maintained by the intake of methyl donors such as folic acid, choline and methionine form food. In this study, we tried to demonstrate whether such methyl donors deficit during the developmental period in the mouse brain (postnatal 3-6wk) could lead to the vulnerability toward the psychiatric diseases. As a result, methyl donor deficit affected the fear memory consolidation and its extinction, and that effect was observed even in 12 weeks of age. Alterations of DNA expression in the DNA methyl-transferases, NMDA receptor, and GABA receptor could be associated with those behavioral changes.

Free Research Field

精神医学