The Genetic and Epigenetic Basis of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Dear Colleagues,

Next-generation sequencing technologies have revolutionized gene discovery for a variety of medical conditions, including a group of disorders affecting brain development and function known as neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Despite the common phenotypic heterogeneity present in NDDs, the identification of genetic causes has significantly improved the assessment of recurrent risks and the foreseeing of future medical complications, which has important ramifications for genetic counseling and patient management. Modeling the genetic causes of NDDs in mice and other model organisms has also enhanced the understanding of disease pathophysiology and uncovered new strategies for therapeutic development. To date, hundreds of genes and genomic regions have been implicated in NDDs. Notably, many of these genes are involved in the regulation of DNA methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNAs, and three-dimensional chromatin organization. The involvement of these fundamental epigenetic processes has not only opened new avenues but also stimulated a community effort to investigate the pathophysiology underlying NDDs through the lens of neuroepigenetics.

In this Special Issue, we solicit original studies and review articles that focus on the genetic and epigenetic basis of NDDs with the aim of better understanding the interplay between genetics, epigenetics, and neurodevelopment. The goal is to reveal new insights into the underlying pathogenic mechanisms and pave the way for potential therapeutic interventions that target and modulate the epigenetic processes to mitigate or reverse clinical symptoms in NDDs.

Prof. Dr. Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• neurodevelopmental disorders
• neural development
• epigenetics
• DNA methylation
• histone methylation
• histone acetylation
• non-coding RNAs
• chromatin organization
• therapeutics