Epigenetic Regulation of Acquired Behaviors in Health and Disease

Over the past decades, neuroscientists have uncovered many of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that enable animals to adapt their behavior to environmental cues and past experiences, including key processes underlying learning and long-term memory. Among these, epigenetic mechanisms have emerged as a powerful and still largely unexplored substrate for enduring behavioral change. This workshop will examine the role of epigenetic mechanisms in neural plasticity and brain function, with particular emphasis on their contribution to behavior and neuropsychiatric disorders. The workshop will first address the molecular and cellular foundations of memory storage and cognition in the healthy brain, then turn to clinical perspectives, including the basis of memory disorders. In this way, it will highlight both the mechanisms that govern memory formation and erasure in the normal brain and those involved in neurological and psychiatric disease. Beyond its biomedical relevance, the workshop will bring together internationally recognized researchers using complementary approaches to study the molecular basis of behavior, including molecular genetics, electrophysiology, behavioral analysis, optogenetics, and noninvasive imaging.