Implications of epigenetic mechanisms in the development and treatment of personality disorders

Epigenetics deals with the genic expression processes that do not involve modifications of the DNA sequence, that is, focuses on the different trajectories of a given genotype throughout the organism’s lifespan. These processes are involved in basic biological functions such as the cellular differentiation or sexual selection, in the development of complex diseases such as Rett’s syndrome and in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and depression among others. Epigenetic studies are yielding evidence that environmental events and psychosocial factors can modify the epigenome. This work reviews studies analyzing the influence of environmental factors involved in the pathogenesis of behavioral features and phenotypic expression of personality disorder’s symptomatic domains, such as late onset affective symptoms related with early adverse events in childhood and dysfunction of stress modulation mechanisms. In addition, the knowledge of these epigenetic mechanisms may contribute to the identification of novel both psychotherapeutic and pharmacological therapeutic targets for the treatment of personality disorders.