Seminar by Dr. Daniël van den Hove, PhD

Maastricht University (The Netherlands)

Neuroepigenetics of Aging and Alzheimer’s disease

Epigenetics is a quickly growing field encompassing mechanisms regulating gene expression that do not involve changes in the genotype. Epigenetics is of increasing relevance to neuroscience, with epigenetic mechanisms being implicated in brain development and neuronal differentiation, as well as in more dynamic processes related to cognition. Epigenetic regulation covers multiple levels of gene expression; from direct modifications of the DNA and histone tails, regulating the level of transcription, to interactions with messenger RNAs, regulating the level of translation. Importantly, epigenetic dysregulation currently garners much attention as a pivotal player in aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), where it may mediate interactions between genetic and environmental risk factors, or directly interact with disease-specific pathological factors. Our work particularly focusses on the role of DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation in normal aging as well as in the development and course of AD, making use of human, animal and in vitro model systems for this devastating disorder.