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Epigenetic Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Autism and Schizophrenia

Walter H Moos1,2, Eleni Maneta3,4, Carl A Pinkert5,6

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Drug Development Research
|February 23, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Novel carnitine esters show promise for treating neuropsychiatric disorders by targeting mitochondrial dysfunction and epigenetic pathways. These compounds may offer a new therapeutic avenue by protecting neurons and improving synaptic plasticity.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Neuropsychiatric disorders share mitochondrial dysfunction and common biological pathways.
  • Current treatments are largely interventional and do not address core disease symptoms.
  • Molecular-targeted therapies have shown limited success.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review emerging epigenetic-driven therapeutic approaches for neuropsychiatric disorders.
  • To explore the potential of novel acylcarnitine esters (carnitinoids) as a treatment strategy.
  • To outline the neuroprotective effects of carnitinoids in conditions like autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on epigenetic modifications and mitochondrial function in neuropsychiatric disorders.
  • Analysis of the mechanism of action of carnitinoids as biomimetic coenzyme A surrogates.
  • Discussion of carnitinoid transport, localization, and effects on gene regulation and neuronal health.

Main Results:

  • Carnitinoids act on master regulators of antioxidant and cytoprotective genes.
  • These compounds inhibit histone deacetylase, potentially reinvigorating synaptic plasticity.
  • Carnitinoids demonstrate potential for protecting against neuronal damage.

Conclusions:

  • Epigenetic-driven approaches using carnitinoids represent a promising therapeutic strategy for neuropsychiatric disorders.
  • Carnitinoids may address core symptoms by targeting underlying mitochondrial dysfunction.
  • Further research into carnitinoids could lead to novel treatments for autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.
Keywords:
Alzheimer diseasePMX-500PMX-550Parkinson diseaseantioxidantautismbipolarbutyratecarnitinoidsepigenetichistone deacetylasemitochondrial dysfunctionneurodegenerativeneurodevelopmentalneuropsychiatric disordersschizophrenia

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