Histone modifications have been found to contribute with certain brain phenomena like memory and behavior, and in this respect, some HDAC inhibitors have been shown to enhance long- term memory, which makes them interesting candidates for treatment of cognitive disorders, particularly phobias, but also for other behavior alterations, like anxiety disorders. In this paper, authors report that sodium valproate (VPA), a HDAC inhibitor, improves the extinction of conditioned fear by enhancing long- term memory in mice, whose effects not only last but are also more pronounced while in training.
When administered prior to training, VPA enhances long- term memory for both the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear. These findings are consistent with several studies demonstrating that HDAC inhibitors facilitate memory. [...These findings also] support the long- standing view that extinction is new learning and not simply erasure of the original fear association [...].
T. W. Bredy & M. Barad (2008) Learn Mem 15(1):39-45
epigenetics
