Critical periods and the developmental origins of disease: an epigenetic perspective of schizophrenia

Abstract

Epigenetics holds promise to explain some puzzles concerning the risk and course of psychiatric disorders. Epigenetic information is essential as a set of operating instructions for the genome, which is heritable with DNA. The epigenetic regulation of gene expression can plausibly be influenced by the environment of one's ancestors, prenatal exposures, and by early life events. Some epigenetic mechanisms may alter neurophysiology throughout life by programming gene expression, perhaps in anticipation of certain life experiences. These epigenetic signals are only meta-stable and may be perturbed by stochastic events, errors, or by environmental toxins. This introduction considers the possibility that epigenetic change that may occur as paternal age advances or during fetal adversity may be causally related to the susceptibility for schizophrenia.