Chromatin remodeling: a novel mechanism of psychotropic drug action

Regulation of gene expression is known to contribute to the long-term adaptations underlying the effects of psychotropic drugs, including the actions of antidepressants and drugs of abuse in behavioral models. However, the precise molecular events that are required for modification of chromatin and that underlie gene repression or activation have not been elucidated. Recent reports, including the article by Cassel et al. in this issue of Molecular Pharmacology, address this question and demonstrate that psychotropic drugs modify specific methyl-CpG-binding proteins that control histone acetylation and gene expression.