Innovative potential treatment strategies for schizophrenia and biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease

Excerpt

In this issue, we are starting with a series of invited reviews on innovative and potential future therapeutic strategies in schizophrenia and affective disorders. Hasan et al. [1] outline that cognitive symptoms do not respond to antipsychotic treatment and are a main predictor for poor social and functional outcome in schizophrenia. During the last years, epigenetic mechanisms mediating the influence of environmental factors on chromatin regulation and gene expression have been reported to play an important role in the pathophysiology of the disease. Therefore, histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors might be potential epigenetic targets in the treatment of schizophrenia. After clarification of target selectivity, adverse effects and identification of eligible patients, future clinical studies should follow this trail. DNA-methylation is a further epigenetic mechanism in which the relationship with environmental experience and brain activation has to be assessed [2]. …