Even though brain researchers have limited access to the tissue of interest compared to other areas of medicine, progress in the areas of brain-based neurological illness provides evidence of the importance of this understanding. The literature related to the epigenetics of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, more specifically miRNA which may be involved in regulating genes described to be key for disease progression, has grown quite substantially over the past decade. Meza-Sosa and colleagues have extensively reviewed recent findings demonstrating that miRNA may play important roles in the development of the central nervous system (CNS) as well as in a variety of neuropathologies, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s (Meza-Sosa, Valle-Garcia, Pedraza-Alva, & Perez-Martinez, 2011). Future studies in both human cohorts and animal models investigating epigenetic mechanisms altered by maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy should also consider exploring exposure-associated epigenetic links to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Such links may both further the understanding of these complex etiologies and may reveal novel therapeutic targets for future treatment options.
