Molecular Epigenetics in Learning Processes: A Systematic Literature Review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64479/jpide.v1i1.63

Keywords:

DNA Methylation, Epigenetic Memory, Epigenetics in Learning, Epigenetics Procces, Long Therm-Memory

Abstract

Many DNA-binding transcription factors that control gene expression during learning have been identified to date. These changes, which change the DNA-histone interactions in nucleosomes, include acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitylation that are mediated by enzymes. The purpose of this work is to identify molecular epigenetics in learning. Systematic literature review (SLR) was employed in the study methodology with assistance of the vosviewer program. previous ten years, the english language, and open access were established as inclusion and exclusion criteria. The analysis's findings demonstrated that the distribution of studies on molecular epigenetics in learning varied, with a high of 2022 (208 articles) and low 2017 (68 articles) studies with 9 clusters. Two clusters, cluster 7 (18 items) and cluster 8 (17 items), are devoted to learning. In order to help instructors concentrate on the process of students' memory performance, the research implications serve as a reference when thinking about epigenetic aspects in learning.

References

Allain, H., Schück, S., Nachit-Ouinekh, F., Plouin, P., Brunon, A.-M., Boulliat, J., Mercier, F., Slama, A., Baulac, M., & Hasnaoui, A. E. (2007). Improvement in quality of life after initiation of lamotrigine therapy in patients with epilepsy in a naturalistic treatment setting. Seizure, 16(2), 173–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seizure.2006.11.009

Bartra, C., Irisarri, A., Villoslada, A., Corpas, R., Aguirre, S., García-Lara, E., Suñol, C., Pallàs, M., Griñán-Ferré, C., & Sanfeliu, C. (2022). Neuroprotective Epigenetic Changes Induced by Maternal Treatment with an Inhibitor of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Prevents Early Alzheimer′s Disease Neurodegeneration. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232315151

Bayraktar, G., & Kreutz, M. R. (2018). Neuronal DNA Methyltransferases: Epigenetic Mediators between Synaptic Activity and Gene Expression? Neuroscientist, 24(2), 171–185. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073858417707457

Blough, E. R., & Wu, M. (2011). Acetaminophen: Beyond pain and fever-relieving. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2 NOV. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2011.00072

Bredy, T. W. (2018). Experience-dependent neural plasticity, learning, and memory in the era of epitranscriptomics. Genes Brain Behav, 17(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/gbb.12426.Experience-dependent

Campbell, R. R., & Wood, M. A. (2019). How the epigenome integrates information and reshapes the synapse Rianne. Nat Rev Neurosci., 20(3), 133–147. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-019-0121-9.How

Chen, X., Wang, S., Zhou, Y., Han, Y., Li, S., Xu, Q., Xu, L., Zhu, Z., Deng, Y., Yu, L., Song, L., Chen, A. P., Song, J., Takahashi, E., He, G., He, L., Li, W., & Chen, C. D. (2018). Phf8 histone demethylase deficiency causes cognitive impairments through the mTOR pathway. Nature Communications, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02531-y

Creighton, S. D., Stefanelli, G., Reda, A., & Zovkic, I. B. (2020). Epigenetic mechanisms of learning and memory: Implications for aging. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(18), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21186918

Deng, P., Zhang, H., Wang, L., Jie, S., Zhao, Q., Chen, F., Yue, Y., Wang, H., Tian, L., Xie, J., Chen, M., Luo, Y., Yu, Z., Pi, H., & Zhou, Z. (2023). Long-term cadmium exposure impairs cognitive function by activating lnc-Gm10532/m6A/FIS1 axis-mediated mitochondrial fission and dysfunction. Science of the Total Environment, 858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159950

Dion, A., Muñoz, P. T., & Franklin, T. B. (2022). Epigenetic mechanisms impacted by chronic stress across the rodent lifespan. Neurobiology of Stress, 17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100434

El-Sayed, A. M., Koenen, K. C., & Galea, S. (2013). Putting the “epi” into epigenetics research in psychiatry. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 67(7), 610–616. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2013-202430

Fan, M., Liu, Y., Shang, Y., Xue, Y., Liang, J., & Huang, Z. (2022). JADE2 Is Essential for Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity and Cognitive Functions in Mice. Biological Psychiatry, 92(10), 800–814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.05.021

Grigorenko, E. L., Kornilov, S. A., & Naumova, O. Y. U. (2016). Epigenetic regulation of cognition: A circumscribed review of the field. Development and Psychopathology, 28(4), 1285–1304. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579416000857

Grinkevich, L. N. (2014). Epigenetics and the formation of long-term memory. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology, 44(2), 200–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-014-9897-2

Guadagno, A., Verlezza, S., Long, H., Wong, T. P., & Walker, C.-D. (2020). It is all in the right amygdala: Increased synaptic plasticity and perineuronal nets in male, but not female, juvenile rat pups after exposure to early-life stress. Journal of Neuroscience, 40(43), 8276–8291. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1029-20.2020

Guan, J. S., Xie, H., & Ding, X. L. (2015). The role of epigenetic regulation in learning and memory. Experimental Neurology, 268, 30–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2014.05.006

Gulmez Karaca, K., Brito, D. V. C., Zeuch, B., & Oliveira, A. M. M. (2018). Adult hippocampal MeCP2 preserves the genomic responsiveness to learning required for long-term memory formation. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 149, 84–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2018.02.010

Hiester, B. G., Becker, M. I., Bowen, A. B., Schwartz, S. L., & Kennedy, M. J. (2018). Mechanisms and role of dendritic membrane trafficking for long-term potentiation. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2018.00391

Hörmanseder, E., Simeone, A., Allen, G. E., Bradshaw, C. R., Figlmüller, M., Gurdon, J., & Jullien, J. (2017). H3K4 Methylation-Dependent Memory of Somatic Cell Identity Inhibits Reprogramming and Development of Nuclear Transfer Embryos. Cell Stem Cell, 21(1), 135-143.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2017.03.003

Keifer, J. (2017). Primetime for learning genes. Genes, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/genes8020069

Kerr, A., Swallow, J., Chekar, C. K., & Cunningham-Burley, S. (2019). Genomic research and the cancer clinic: uncertainty and expectations in professional accounts. New Genetics and Society, 38(2), 222–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/14636778.2019.1586525

Kim, S., & Kaang, B. K. (2017). Epigenetic regulation and chromatin remodeling in learning and memory. Experimental and Molecular Medicine, 49(1), e281-8. https://doi.org/10.1038/emm.2016.140

Korous, K. M., Surachman, A., Rogers, C. R., & Cuevas, A. G. (2023). Parental education and epigenetic aging in middle-aged and older adults in the United States: A life course perspective. Social Science and Medicine, 333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116173

Kupke, J., Klimmt, J., Mudlaff, F., Schwab, M., Lutsik, P., Plass, C., Sticht, C., & Oliveira, A. M. M. (2024). Dnmt3a1 regulates hippocampus-dependent memory via the downstream target Nrp1. Neuropsychopharmacology, March. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-024-01843-0

Lee, L. R., Wengier, D. L., & Bergmann, D. C. (2019). Cell-type–specific transcriptome and histone modification dynamics during cellular reprogramming in the Arabidopsis stomatal lineage. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(43), 21914–21924. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1911400116

Li, W., Liu, J., Ma, Z., Zhai, X., Cheng, B., & Zhao, H. (2021). M6A RNA Methylation Regulators Elicit Malignant Progression and Predict Clinical Outcome in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Disease Markers, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8859590

Löwy, I. (2011). Historiography of biomedicine: “bio,” “medicine,” and in between. ISIS, 102(1), 116–122. https://doi.org/10.1086/658661

Mahinfar, P., Baradaran, B., Davoudian, S., Vahidian, F., Cho, W. .-S., & Mansoori, B. (2021). Long non-coding RNAs in multidrug resistance of glioblastoma. Genes, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/genes12030455

Mirzaeicheshmeh, E., Zerrweck, C., Centeno-Cruz, F., Baca-Peynado, P., Martinez-Hernandez, A., García-Ortiz, H., Contreras-Cubas, C., Salas-Martínez, M. G., Saldaña-Alvarez, Y., Mendoza-Caamal, E. C., Barajas-Olmos, F., & Orozco, L. (2021). Alterations of DNA methylation during adipogenesis differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from adipose tissue of patients with obesity is associated with type 2 diabetes. Adipocyte, 10(1), 493–504. https://doi.org/10.1080/21623945.2021.1978157

Mitchell, A. C., Javidfar, B., Pothula, V., Ibi, D., Shen, E. Y., Peter, C. J., Bicks, L. K., Fehr, T., Jiang, Y., Brennand, K. J., Neve, R. L., Gonzalez-Maeso, J., & Akbarian, S. (2018). MEF2C transcription factor is associated with the genetic and epigenetic risk architecture of schizophrenia and improves cognition in mice. Molecular Psychiatry, 23(1), 123–132. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2016.254

Noris, M. et al. (2024). Trends and Issues of Inquiry and Socio-Scientific Issue (SSI) Research in the Last 20 Years: A Bibliometric Analysis. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 12(3), 773–792. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijemst.3767

O’Geen, H., Bates, S. L., Carter, S. S., Nisson, K. A., Halmai, J., Fink, K. D., Rhie, S. K., Farnham, P. J., & Segal, D. J. (2019). Ezh2-dCas9 and KRAB-dCas9 enable engineering of epigenetic memory in a context-dependent manner. Epigenetics and Chromatin, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13072-019-0275-8

Pal, D., Sahu, P., Mishra, A. K., Hagelgans, A., & Sukocheva, O. (2023). Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors as Cognitive Enhancers and Modifiers of Mood and Behavior. Current Drug Targets, 24(9), 728–750. https://doi.org/10.2174/1389450124666221207090108

Pečarič, M. (2023). EPIGENETICS AS A NEW CHALLENGE IN THE LEGAL FIELD. Danube, 14(4), 273–286. https://doi.org/10.2478/danb-2023-0016

Pickersgill, M. (2020). Epigenetics, education, and the plastic body: Changing concepts and new engagements. Research in Education, 107(1), 72–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034523719867102

Sajnani, N., Mayor, C., & Tillberg-Webb, H. (2020). Aesthetic presence: The role of the arts in the education of creative arts therapists in the classroom and online. Arts in Psychotherapy, 69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2020.101668

Sanders, T. H., Weiss, J., Hogewood, L., Chen, L., Paton, C., McMahan, R. L., & Sweatt, J. D. (2019). Cognition-enhancing vagus nerve stimulation alters the epigenetic landscape. Journal of Neuroscience, 39(18), 3454–3469. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2407-18.2019

Singh, D., Patil, V., Kumar, R., Gautam, J. K., Singh, V., & Nandi, A. K. (2023). RSI1/FLD and its epigenetic target RRTF1 are essential for the retention of infection memory in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Journal, 115(3), 662–677. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16252

Smukowski Heil, C. S. (2014). No detectable effect of the DNA methyltransferase DNMT2 on Drosophila meiotic recombination. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 4(11), 2095–2100. https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.114.012393

Srivas, S., & Thakur, M. K. (2017). Epigenetic regulation of neuronal immediate early genes is associated with decline in their expression and memory consolidation in scopolamine-induced amnesic mice. Molecular Neurobiology, 54(7), 5107–5119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-016-0047-4

Sweatt., J. D. (2016). Drugging the Methylome: DNA Methylation and Memory. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol., 176(1), 100–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146515594631.Marriage

Tchantchou, F., Hsia, R.-C., Puche, A., & Fiskum, G. (2023). Hippocampal vulnerability to hyperhomocysteinemia worsens pathological outcomes of mild traumatic brain injury in rats. Journal of Central Nervous System Disease, 15. https://doi.org/10.1177/11795735231160025

Tiffon, C. (2018). The impact of nutrition and environmental epigenetics on human health and disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 19(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19113425

Todorov, G., & Cunha, C. (2019). Hypothesis: Regulation of neuroplasticity may involve I-motif and G-quadruplex DNA formation modulated by epigenetic mechanisms. Medical Hypotheses, 127, 129–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2019.04.003

Van Assche, E., Hohoff, C., Zang, J., Knight, M. J., & Baune, B. T. (2023). Epigenetic modification related to cognitive changes during a cognitive training intervention in depression. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110835

Wang, W., Cao, Q., Tan, T., Yang, F., Williams, J. B., & Yan, Z. (2021). Epigenetic treatment of behavioral and physiological deficits in a tauopathy mouse model. Aging Cell, 20(10). https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.13456

Wibowo, A., Becker, C., Marconi, G., Durr, J., Price, J., Hagmann, J., Papareddy, R., Putra, H., Kageyama, J., Becker, J., Weigel, D., & Gutierrez-Marcos, J. (2016). Hyperosmotic stress memory in arabidopsis is mediated by distinct epigenetically labile sites in the genome and is restricted in the male germline by dna glycosylase activity. ELife, 5(MAY2016). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13546

Widagdo, J., Wong, J. J. L., & Anggono, V. (2022). The m6A-epitranscriptome in brain plasticity, learning and memory. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, 125(May), 110–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.05.023

Xu, C., Huang, H., Zhang, M., Zhang, P., Li, Z., Liu, X., & Fang, M. (2022). Methyltransferase-Like 3 Rescues the Amyloid-beta protein-Induced Reduction of Activity-Regulated Cytoskeleton Associated Protein Expression via YTHDF1-Dependent N6-Methyladenosine Modification. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.890134

Xu, W., Wang, F., Yu, Z., & Xin, F. (2016). Epigenetics and cellular metabolism. Genetics and Epigenetics, 1(8), 43–51. https://doi.org/10.4137/GEG.S32160

Xu, X. (2015). DNA methylation and cognitive aging. Oncotarget, 6(16), 13925–13934. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.4215

Zovkic, I. B., Guzman-Karlsson, M. C., & Sweatt, J. D. (2013). Epigenetic regulation of memory formation and maintenance. Learning and Memory, 20(2), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.1101/lm.026575.112

Downloads

Published

2026-06-21

How to Cite

Molecular Epigenetics in Learning Processes: A Systematic Literature Review. (2026). Journal of Pedagogical Innovation and Digital Education (JPIDE), 1(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.64479/jpide.v1i1.63