**Author details**

Ryan M. Bastle and Janet L. Neisewander\*

\*Address all correspondence to: janet.neisewander@asu.edu

School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

## **References**


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and depression) [85, 86]; therefore, additional work is needed to test whether epigenetic factors underlie the co-occurrence or are specific for one disorder over the other. It will be vital to test the generalizability versus specificity of epigenetic modifications in drug abuse-related

Despite the challenges that lie ahead, growing knowledge in this field will provide opportu‐ nities for novel preventions and interventions of drug abuse and dependence. New technol‐ ogies for identifying and specifically targeting epigenetic processes hold promise not only for understanding the complex interactions between drug exposure, life experiences, and gene expression, but also as treatment strategies designed to counter epigenetic dysregulation. For instance, the use of synthetic transcription factors may allow drug-induced or inherited epigenetic marks to be erased in order to increase resilience when one is exposed to addictive drugs [69]. Future epigenetics research may also identify biomarkers of vulnerability that may aid prevention strategies. Collectively, these new avenues of drug abuse research are exciting

This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse grants DA034097 (JLN)

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