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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Nov 19, 2025; 15(11): 110581
Published online Nov 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i11.110581
Published online Nov 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i11.110581
DNA methylation as a new frontier in treating fear-related disorders: A need for careful evaluation
Xiao-Ling Huang, De-Fang Chen, Ying Wang, Yi-Ning Zhang, Ntim Michael, Bin Wang, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebral Diseases, College of Basic Medical Sciences, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Drug Research and Development of Neurode
Xiao-Ling Huang, Ying Wang, Yu-Song Ge, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116000, Liaoning Province, China
Ntim Michael, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ashanti, Ghana
Co-first authors: Xiao-Ling Huang and De-Fang Chen.
Co-corresponding authors: Yu-Song Ge and Bin Wang.
Author contributions: Huang XL and Chen DF contributed equally as co-first authors, Huang XL and Chen DF were responsible for the conceptualization and design of this editorial, conducting an extensive literature review, synthesizing key insights, and drafting the manuscript, and completed the initial and second revisions of the manuscript. They played a crucial role in shaping the structure, identifying key issues, and ensuring that the discussion was both comprehensive and thought-provoking; Wang Y and Zhang YN contributed significantly to literature screening, and reference management, assisted in structuring the manuscript, verifying sources, and refining key arguments to improve clarity and coherence, and provided critical feedback during the revision process to enhance the overall narrative and ensure a well-supported discussion; Michael N reviewed and provided a professional language editing for this manuscript, and ensured accuracy, clarity and adherence to academic writing standards; Ge YS and Wang B shared responsibilities as co-corresponding authors, Ge YS and Wang B supervised the entire process, offering valuable intellectual guidance and ensuring the scientific rigor of the editorial. They were actively involved in multiple rounds of revision, providing constructive critiques and refining key arguments to enhance the clarity and impact of the manuscript; and Wang B also played an essential role in securing institutional support for this work, facilitating access to relevant research resources. This collaboration brought together diverse expertise, resulting in a well-rounded and insightful editorial. Each author made significant and indispensable contributions, ensuring the successful completion and publication of this work.
Supported by the General Program of the Joint Fund Project Under the Liaoning Provincial Science and Technology Plan, No. 2024-MSLH-104; Research Project Plan of the Qingpu Branch of Zhongshan Hospital, No. QYT2023-02; and Research Topic of the Shanghai Qingpu District Health Commission, No. QWJ2024-10.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bin Wang, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebral Diseases, College of Basic Medical Sciences, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Drug Research and Development of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dalian Medical University, No. 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian 116000, Liaoning Province, China.
Received: June 11, 2025
Revised: July 31, 2025
Accepted: August 20, 2025
Published online: November 19, 2025
Processing time: 147 Days and 19.1 Hours
Revised: July 31, 2025
Accepted: August 20, 2025
Published online: November 19, 2025
Processing time: 147 Days and 19.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: DNA methylation shows therapeutic potential in fear-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder by modulating fear memory extinction. However, concerns regarding its limited specificity, uncertain timing of intervention, and potential systemic side effects warrant cautious interpretation. Future research should focus on enhancing spatial precision, optimizing temporal control, and conducting individualized assessments to improve therapeutic accuracy. Ethical oversight and the integration of multi-faceted strategies will be essential for the safe and effective clinical application of DNA methylation-based interventions.