YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 87 (2014), pp.173-186. Copyright © 2014. REVIEw Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in the Central Nervous System

The BDNF is required for the development and proper function of the central nervous sys-tem, where it is involved in a variety of neural and molecular events relevant to cognition, learning, and memory processes. Although only a functional mature protein is synthesized, the human BDNF gene possesses an extensive structural complexity, including the pres-ence of multiple promoters, splicing events, and 3´UTR poly-adenylation sites, resulting in an intricate transcriptional regulation and numerous messengers RNA. Recent data sup-port specific cellular roles of these transcripts. Moreover, a central role of epigenetic modi-fications on the regulation of BDNF gene transcription is also emerging. The present essay aims to summarize the published information on the matter, emphasizing their possible im-plications in health and disease or in the treatment of different neurologic and psychiatric dis-orders