SWI/SNF complexes have important and diverse actions during development (Ho and Crabtree, 2010). They are important in the regulation of neuronal development (Son and Crabtree, 2014), where they are required for neural tube closure and the regulation of brain size in mouse (Bultman et al., 2000, Kim et al., 2001). Furthermore, there is strong evidence in humans for functions of SWI/SNF in the nervous system. Recently, several mutations in a member of the SWI/SNF complex, ARID2, were identified in individuals with intellectual disability (Shang et al., 2015). Additionally, a transcription factor (ADNP) that directly interacts with the SWI/SNF complex is mutated in syndromic autism (Helsmoortel et al., 2014, Vandeweyer et al., 2014).
