Chromatin-related phenomena regulate gene expression by altering the compaction and accessibility of DNA to relevant transcription factors, thus allowing every cell in the body to attain distinct identities and to function properly within a given cellular context. These processes occur not only in the developing central nervous system, but continue throughout the lifetime of a neuron to constantly adapt to changes in the environment. Such changes can be positive or negative, thereby altering the chromatin landscape to influence cellular and synaptic plasticity within relevant neural circuits, and ultimately behavior. Given the importance of epigenetic mechanisms in guiding physiological adaptations, perturbations in these processes in brain have been linked to several neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. In this review, we cover some of the recent advances linking chromatin dynamics to complex brain disorders and discuss new methodologies that may overcome current limitations in the field.

染色质相关现象通过改变DNA对相关转录因子的紧实度和可及性来调节基因表达，从而使体内的每个细胞都能获得不同的身份并在给定的细胞环境中正常运行。这些过程不仅发生在发展中的中枢神经系统中，而且在神经元的整个生命周期中持续发生，以不断适应环境的变化。这样的变化可以是正的或负的，从而改变染色质的形态以影响相关神经回路内的细胞和突触可塑性，并最终影响行为。考虑到表观遗传机制在指导生理适应中的重要性，大脑中这些过程的扰动已与多种神经精神病学和神经系统疾病相关。在这篇评论中