Chromatin regulation in drug addiction and depression

Alterations in gene expression are implicated in the pathogenesis of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including drug addiction and depression. Increasing evidence indicates that changes in gene expression in neurons, in the context of animal models of addiction and depression, are mediated in part by epigenetic mechanisms that alter chromatin structure on specific gene promoters. This review discusses recent findings from behavioral, molecular, and bioinformatic approaches that are being used to understand the complex epigenetic regulation of gene expression in brain by drugs of abuse and by stress. These advances promise to open up new avenues for improved treatments of these disorders.