BACKGROUND: Epigenetic regulation is a level of transcriptional regulation that occurs in addition to the genetic programming found in biological systems. In the brain, the epigenetic machinery gives the system an opportunity to adapt to a given environment to help not only the individual but also the species survive and expand. However, such a regulatory system has risks, as mutations resulting from epigenetic regulation can cause severe neurological or psychiatric disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Here, we review the most recent findings regarding the epigenetic mechanisms that control the activity-dependent gene transcription leading to synaptic plasticity and brain function and the defects in these mechanisms that lead to neurological disorders.

METHODS: A search was carried out systematically, searching all relevant publications up to June 2017, using the PubMed search engine. The following keywords were used: “activity induced epigenetic,” “gene transcription,” and “neurological disorders.”

RESULTS: A wide range of studies focused on the roles of epigenetics in transgenerational inheritance, neural differentiation, neural circuit assembly and brain diseases. Thirty-one articles focused specifically on activity-induced epigenetic modifications that regulated gene transcription and memory formation and consolidation.

CONCLUSION: Activity-dependent epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression regulation contribute to basic neuronal physiology, and defects were associated with an elevated risk for brain disorders.