According to the WHO (2019), mental health conditions include mental, neurological and substance use disorders, suicide risk and associated psychosocial, cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
Cumulating evidence has shown that several genetic and epigenetic factors participate in the etiology of these conditions. Although the genetic influence on mental health is widely studied, the interaction of genetic variants with the environment and thus with epigenetic mechanisms is still poorly understood. Thus, there is still much to be explored in the context of the participation of (epi)genetic factors in these conditions.
One of the most recent lines of research is chrono-epigenetics, which considers circadian epigenetic oscillations, such as cytosine modifications, whose progressive imbalance can lead to the appearance of complex diseases after a certain age. In addition, information on the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as well as on the influence of chemical modifications in RNA molecules that directly or indirectly interfere in these pathologies, has been constantly added.
The primary goal of this topic is to update readers on the latest advances in the field of genetics and epigenetics of mental health, including the discovery of new gene associations, mechanisms and pathways involved, biomarkers, and even new methods involved.
This Research Topic welcomes the submission of Original Research, Methods, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, and Perspective articles, with a particular interest in the following topics:
(1) Human genome, epigenome, epitranscriptome, and regulome diversity modulating the susceptibility to mental disorders.
(2) Application of genetic, epigenetic, and regulome variants in personalized medicine for mental health.
(3) Chrono-epigenetics in mental health.
(4) Inter and transgenerational epigenetics of mental health.
(5) Large-scale laboratory or bioinformatics methods for screening and detecting genomic variants with functional relevance for mental health.
According to the WHO (2019), mental health conditions include mental, neurological and substance use disorders, suicide risk and associated psychosocial, cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
Cumulating evidence has shown that several genetic and epigenetic factors participate in the etiology of these conditions. Although the genetic influence on mental health is widely studied, the interaction of genetic variants with the environment and thus with epigenetic mechanisms is still poorly understood. Thus, there is still much to be explored in the context of the participation of (epi)genetic factors in these conditions.
One of the most recent lines of research is chrono-epigenetics, which considers circadian epigenetic oscillations, such as cytosine modifications, whose progressive imbalance can lead to the appearance of complex diseases after a certain age. In addition, information on the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as well as on the influence of chemical modifications in RNA molecules that directly or indirectly interfere in these pathologies, has been constantly added.
The primary goal of this topic is to update readers on the latest advances in the field of genetics and epigenetics of mental health, including the discovery of new gene associations, mechanisms and pathways involved, biomarkers, and even new methods involved.
This Research Topic welcomes the submission of Original Research, Methods, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, and Perspective articles, with a particular interest in the following topics:
(1) Human genome, epigenome, epitranscriptome, and regulome diversity modulating the susceptibility to mental disorders.
(2) Application of genetic, epigenetic, and regulome variants in personalized medicine for mental health.
(3) Chrono-epigenetics in mental health.
(4) Inter and transgenerational epigenetics of mental health.
(5) Large-scale laboratory or bioinformatics methods for screening and detecting genomic variants with functional relevance for mental health.