Research ReportEpigenetics and therapeutic targets mediating neuroprotection

•Epigenetic phenomena orchestrate nervous system structure and activity across the lifespan.•Epigenetic mechanisms also mediate neural cell injury and countervailing neuroprotective responses.•Epigenetics has the potential to identify transformative therapeutic targets for adult onset neurodegenerative disorders.

The rapidly evolving science of epigenetics is transforming our understanding of the nervous system in health and disease and holds great promise for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches targeting neurological diseases. Increasing evidence suggests that epigenetic factors and mechanisms serve as important mediators of the pathogenic processes that lead to irrevocable neural injury and of countervailing homeostatic and regenerative responses. Epigenetics is, therefore, of considerable translational significance to the field of neuroprotection. In this brief review, we provide an overview of epigenetic mechanisms and highlight the emerging roles played by epigenetic processes in neural cell dysfunction and death and in resultant neuroprotective responses.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Neuroprotection.