Transcription and Chromatin Regulators in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and intellectual disability (ID), often present themselves during childhood and are characterized by cognitive impairment and limitations in adaptive behavior. They arise from defects during brain development and frequently have a genetic origin. A high degree of co-morbidity between ID and other NDDs suggests that common molecular pathways are affected. Recent sequencing efforts have uncovered a large set of NDD genes and, strikingly, many of these encode for transcription and chromatin regulators. Mutations in the same genetic switches have been identified in different NDDs, again suggesting commonly disturbed biological processes.

This Research Topic will explore the role of histone modifiers, ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers, transcription factors, co-activators, and co-repressors in neurodevelopmental disorders to contribute insight into the molecular mechanisms and developmental pathways that are affected in related NDDs. Dissecting the gene regulatory networks of these transcription and chromatin regulators in disease-relevant model systems can provide crucial clues about the disease mechanism and possible treatment options and directly lead to improved diagnostics.

We welcome original research in a variety of neurodevelopmental model systems (e.g. animal models, in vitro neural progenitor or neuronal cultures, human brain organoids), as well as clinical research, case reports, and literature reviews. Authors will be offered the opportunity to present highlights of their work on an online video platform.