Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38967831›Full record

SynthesisNeurogenetics2024

A perspective on epigenomic aging processes in the human brain and their plasticity in patients with mental disorders - a systematic review.

Jan Postberg, Michèle Tina Schubert, Vincent Nin, Lukas Wagner, Martina Piefke

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neurogenetics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Premature aging in serious mental illness.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jan PostbergClinical Molecular Genetics and Epigenetics, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Str. 50, 58448, Witten, Germany. jan.postberg@uni-wh.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8562-3316
Michèle Tina SchubertNeurobiology and Genetics of Behavior, Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Str. 50, 58448, Witten, Germany.
Vincent NinNeurobiology and Genetics of Behavior, Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Str. 50, 58448, Witten, Germany.
Lukas WagnerNeurobiology and Genetics of Behavior, Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Str. 50, 58448, Witten, Germany.
Martina PiefkeCentre for Biomedical Education & Research (ZBAF), Witten/Herdecke University, Alfred-Herrhausen-Str. 50, 58448, Witten, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The debate surrounding nature versus nurture remains a central question in neuroscience, psychology, and in psychiatry, holding implications for both aging processes and the etiology of mental illness. Epigenetics can serve as a bridge between genetic predisposition and environmental influences, thus offering a potential avenue for addressing these questions. Epigenetic clocks, in particular, offer a theoretical framework for measuring biological age based on DNA methylation signatures, enabling the identification of disparities between biological and chronological age. This structured review seeks to consolidate current knowledge regarding the relationship between mental disorders and epigenetic age within the brain. Through a comprehensive literature search encompassing databases such as EBSCO, PubMed, and ClinicalTrials.gov, relevant studies were identified and analyzed. Studies that met inclusion criteria were scrutinized, focusing on those with large sample sizes, analyses of both brain tissue and blood samples, investigation of frontal cortex markers, and a specific emphasis on schizophrenia and depressive disorders. Our review revealed a paucity of significant findings, yet notable insights emerged from studies meeting specific criteria. Studies characterized by extensive sample sizes, analysis of brain tissue and blood samples, assessment of frontal cortex markers, and a focus on schizophrenia and depressive disorders yielded particularly noteworthy results. Despite the limited number of significant findings, these studies shed light on the complex interplay between epigenetic aging and mental illness. While the current body of literature on epigenetic aging in mental disorders presents limited significant findings, it underscores the importance of further research in this area. Future studies should prioritize large sample sizes, comprehensive analyses of brain tissue and blood samples, exploration of specific brain regions such as the frontal cortex, and a focus on key mental disorders. Such endeavors will contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between epigenetic aging and mental illness, potentially informing novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Indexed as

AgingBrainEpigenesis, GeneticEpigenomicsMental DisordersDNA MethylationHumansNeuronal PlasticitySchizophreniaBrain tissueDepressionDNA methylationEnvironmental influencesEpigenetic agingEpigenetic clocksFrontal cortexMental disordersNature vs. nurtureSchizophrenia

Identifiers

PMID38967831
PMCPMC11534990

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.