Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders 2.0"

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Related Special Issue
Published Papers

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2023 | Viewed by 13804

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Majid Davidson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3021, Australia
Interests: nanoparticles; vaccines; depression; neuroimmunology; gut-brain axis; neuropsychiatric disorders
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Vasso Apostolopoulos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3011, Australia
Interests: cancer; autoimmunity; mental health; vaccines; exercise; infectious diseases; drugs; healthy aging; bioactives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Tissa Wijeratne

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

AIMSS, Department of Neurology, Melbourne Medical School, Sunshine Hospital, Western Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3011, Australia
Interests: migraine; brain injury; stroke; neurology; headache
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Neurological conditions affect the brain, the spinal cord, and nerves found throughout the body. There are over 600 neurological conditions that affect humans, including dementia, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, and headache (see keywords for other neurological disorder examples). Abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord, or nerves, including structural, biochemical, or electrical, lead to symptoms of a neurological condition. Some symptoms include muscle weakness, loss of coordination and sensation, seizures, paralysis, etc. The causes of neurological disorders vary but can be due to infections, tumors, environmental, lifestyle, genetic, congenital, and trauma.

There is also a vast range of psychological disorders, which include bipolar, eating disorders, paranoia, psychosis, schizophrenia, social anxiety disorder, phobias, agoraphobia, panic attacks, and neuropsychiatric disorders. These disorders can be genetic, biological, viral, and chemical, or be a result of chemical imbalances in the brain, traumatic brain injury, a history of abuse, stress, cancer, alcohol, or recreational substance abuse.

This Special Issue aims to collect contributions related to mechanisms of disease including at the molecular, cellular, genetic, biochemical, and immunological levels. We also seek articles on interventions used to manage these disorders.

You are invited to submit original experimental research papers, theoretical papers, reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, communications, reports, and notes. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Majid Davidson
Prof. Dr. Vasso Apostolopoulos
Prof. Dr. Tissa Wijeratne
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

cerebral palsy
headaches
stroke
Bell’s palsy
neurodegeneration
dementia
Parkinson’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease
Huntington’s disease
Guillain–Barre syndrome
multiple sclerosis
brain cancer
myasthenia gravis
neuromuscular disorders
muscular dystrophy
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
motor neuron disease
neurodevelopment disorders
learning disabilities
autism
mental retardation
attention deficit disorder
ataxia
epilepsy, seizures
gut-brain axis
traumatic brain injury
Tourette syndrome
shingles
meningitis
encephalitis
psychological disorder
bipolar
eating disorders
paranoia
psychosis
schizophrenia
neuropsychiatric disorder
depression, anxiety
ageing
virus infections
cancer
molecular
cellular
immunological aspects
genetic
interventions
mechanisms

Related Special Issue

Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders in International Journal of Molecular Sciences (11 articles)

Published Papers (8 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review, Other

23 pages, 4176 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Beyond Motor Deficits: Environmental Enrichment Mitigates Huntington’s Disease Effects in YAC128 Mice

Evelini Plácido

Priscilla Gomes Welter

Ana Wink

Gabriela Duarte Karasiak

Tiago Fleming Outeiro

Alcir Luiz Dafre

Joana Gil-Mohapel

and

Patricia S. Brocardo

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(16), 12607; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241612607 - 09 Aug 2023

Viewed by 669

Abstract

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder characterized by motor, psychiatric, cognitive, and peripheral symptoms without effective therapy. Evidence suggests that lifestyle factors can modulate disease onset and progression, and environmental enrichment (EE) has emerged as a potential approach to mitigate the progression and severity of neurodegenerative processes. Wild-type (WT) and yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) 128 mice were exposed to different EE conditions. Animals from cohort 1 were exposed to EE between postnatal days 21 and 60, and animals from cohort 2 were exposed to EE between postnatal days 60 and 120. Motor and non-motor behavioral tests were employed to evaluate the effects of EE on HD progression. Monoamine levels, hippocampal cell proliferation, neuronal differentiation, and dendritic arborization were also assessed. Here we show that EE had an antidepressant-like effect and slowed the progression of motor deficits in HD mice. It also reduced monoamine levels, which correlated with better motor performance, particularly in the striatum. EE also modulated neuronal differentiation in the YAC128 hippocampus. These results confirm that EE can impact behavior, hippocampal neuroplasticity, and monoamine levels in YAC128 mice, suggesting this could be a therapeutic strategy to modulate neuroplasticity deficits in HD. However, further research is needed to fully understand EE’s mechanisms and long-term effects as an adjuvant therapy for this debilitating condition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 6246 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Otilonium Bromide Prevents Cholinergic Changes in the Distal Colon Induced by Chronic Water Avoidance Stress, a Rat Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Chiara Traini

Eglantina Idrizaj

Cristina Biagioni

Maria Caterina Baccari

and

Maria Giuliana Vannucchi

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(8), 7440; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24087440 - 18 Apr 2023

Viewed by 944

Abstract

Irritable Bowel syndrome (IBS) is a highly widespread gastrointestinal disorder whose symptomatology mainly affect the large intestine. Among the risk factors, psychosocial stress is the most acknowledged. The repeated water avoidance stress (rWAS) is considered an animal model of psychosocial stress that is capable of mimicking IBS. Otilonium bromide (OB), which is orally administered, concentrates in the large bowel and controls most of the IBS symptoms in humans. Several reports have shown that OB has multiple mechanisms of action and cellular targets. We investigated whether the application of rWAS to rats induced morphological and functional alterations of the cholinergic neurotransmission in the distal colon and whether OB prevented them. The results demonstrated that rWAS affects cholinergic neurotransmission by causing an increase in acid mucin secretion, in the amplitude of electrically evoked contractile responses, abolished by atropine, and in the number of myenteric neurons expressing choline acetyltransferase. OB counteracted these changes and also showed an intrinsic antimuscarinic effect on the post-synaptic muscular receptors. We assume that the rWAS consequences on the cholinergic system are linked to corticotrophin-releasing factor-1 (CRF1) receptor activation by the CRF hypothalamic hormone. OB, by interfering with the CFR/CRFr activation, interrupted the cascade events responsible for the changes affecting the rWAS rat colon. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 3964 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Profiling and Cellular Analyses of Obesity-Related circRNAs in Neurons and Glia under Obesity-like In Vitro Conditions

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6235; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076235 - 25 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1367

Abstract

Recent evidence indicates that the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, is associated with metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity. Various circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found in brain tissues and recent studies have suggested that circRNAs are related to neuropathological mechanisms in the brain. However, there is a lack of interest in the involvement of circRNAs in metabolic imbalance-related neuropathological problems until now. Herein we profiled and analyzed diverse circRNAs in mouse brain cell lines (Neuro-2A neurons, BV-2 microglia, and C8-D1a astrocytes) exposed to obesity-related in vitro conditions (high glucose, high insulin, and high levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin 6, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, and cholesterol). We observed that various circRNAs were differentially expressed according to cell types with many of these circRNAs conserved in humans. After suppressing the expression of these circRNAs using siRNAs, we observed that these circRNAs regulate genes related to inflammatory responses, formation of synaptic vesicles, synaptic density, and fatty acid oxidation in neurons; scavenger receptors in microglia; and fatty acid signaling, inflammatory signaling cyto that may play important roles in metabolic disorders associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research, Other

27 pages, 1377 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Adipokines in the Pathologies of the Central Nervous System

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(19), 14684; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241914684 - 28 Sep 2023

Viewed by 595

Abstract

Adipokines are protein hormones secreted by adipose tissue in response to disruptions in physiological homeostasis within the body’s systems. The regulatory functions of adipokines within the central nervous system (CNS) are multifaceted and intricate, and they have been identified in a number of pathologies. Therefore, specific adipokines have the potential to be used as biomarkers for screening purposes in neurological dysfunctions. The systematic review presented herein focuses on the analysis of the functions of various adipokines in the pathogenesis of CNS diseases. Thirteen proteins were selected for analysis through scientific databases. It was found that these proteins can be identified within the cerebrospinal fluid either by their ability to modify their molecular complex and cross the blood–brain barrier or by being endogenously produced within the CNS itself. As a result, this can correlate with their measurability during pathological processes, including Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, depression, or brain tumors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

31 pages, 1551 KiB

Open AccessReview

Zebrafish as an Innovative Tool for Epilepsy Modeling: State of the Art and Potential Future Directions

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(9), 7702; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24097702 - 22 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1734

Abstract

This article discusses the potential of Zebrafish (ZF) (Danio Rerio), as a model for epilepsy research. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting both children and adults, and many aspects of this disease are still poorly understood. In vivo and in vitro models derived from rodents are the most widely used for studying both epilepsy pathophysiology and novel drug treatments. However, researchers have recently obtained several valuable insights into these two fields of investigation by studying ZF. Despite the relatively simple brain structure of these animals, researchers can collect large amounts of data in a much shorter period and at lower costs compared to classical rodent models. This is particularly useful when a large number of candidate antiseizure drugs need to be screened, and ethical issues are minimized. In ZF, seizures have been induced through a variety of chemoconvulsants, primarily pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), kainic acid (KA), and pilocarpine. Furthermore, ZF can be easily genetically modified to test specific aspects of monogenic forms of human epilepsy, as well as to discover potential convulsive phenotypes in monogenic mutants. The article reports on the state-of-the-art and potential new fields of application of ZF research, including its potential role in revealing epileptogenic mechanisms, rather than merely assessing iatrogenic acute seizure modulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 1481 KiB

Open AccessReview

Impact of Pesticide Residues on the Gut-Microbiota–Blood–Brain Barrier Axis: A Narrative Review

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6147; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076147 - 24 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2392

Abstract

Accumulating evidence indicates that chronic exposure to a low level of pesticides found in diet affects the human gut-microbiota–blood–brain barrier (BBB) axis. This axis describes the physiological and bidirectional connection between the microbiota, the intestinal barrier (IB), and the BBB. Preclinical observations reported a gut microbial alteration induced by pesticides, also known as dysbiosis, a condition associated not only with gastrointestinal disorders but also with diseases affecting other distal organs, such as the BBB. However, the interplay between pesticides, microbiota, the IB, and the BBB is still not fully explored. In this review, we first consider the similarities/differences between these two physiological barriers and the different pathways that link the gut microbiota and the BBB to better understand the dialogue between bacteria and the brain. We then discuss the effects of chronic oral pesticide exposure on the gut-microbiota-BBB axis and raise awareness of the danger of chronic exposure, especially during the perinatal period (pregnant women and offspring). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 2810 KiB

Open AccessReview

Tryptophan and Substance Abuse: Mechanisms and Impact

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2737; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032737 - 01 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4658

Abstract

Addiction, the continuous misuse of addictive material, causes long-term dysfunction in the neurological system. It substantially affects the control strength of reward, memory, and motivation. Addictive substances (alcohol, marijuana, caffeine, heroin, methamphetamine (METH), and nicotine) are highly active central nervous stimulants. Addiction leads to severe health issues, including cardiovascular diseases, serious infections, and pulmonary/dental diseases. Drug dependence may result in unfavorable cognitive impairments that can continue during abstinence and negatively influence recovery performance. Although addiction is a critical global health challenge with numerous consequences and complications, currently, there are no efficient options for treating drug addiction, particularly METH. Currently, novel treatment approaches such as psychological contingency management, cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational enhancement strategies are of great interest. Herein, we evaluate the devastating impacts of different addictive substances/drugs on users′ mental health and the role of tryptophan in alleviating unfavorable side effects. The tryptophan metabolites in the mammalian brain and their potential to treat compulsive abuse of addictive substances are investigated by assessing the functional effects of addictive substances on tryptophan. Future perspectives on developing promising modalities to treat addiction and the role of tryptophan and its metabolites to alleviate drug dependency are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

10 pages, 844 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Biallelic Loss-of-Function Variants in BICD1 Are Associated with Peripheral Neuropathy and Hearing Loss

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(10), 8897; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24108897 - 17 May 2023

Viewed by 848

Abstract

Hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy are two clinical entities that are genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous and sometimes co-occurring. Using exome sequencing and targeted segregation analysis, we investigated the genetic etiology of peripheral neuropathy and hearing loss in a large Ashkenazi Jewish family. Moreover, we assessed the production of the candidate protein via western blotting of lysates from fibroblasts from an affected individual and an unaffected control. Pathogenic variants in known disease genes associated with hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy were excluded. A homozygous frameshift variant in the BICD1 gene, c.1683dup (p.(Arg562Thrfs*18)), was identified in the proband and segregated with hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy in the family. The BIDC1 RNA analysis from patient fibroblasts showed a modest reduction in gene transcripts compared to the controls. In contrast, protein could not be detected in fibroblasts from a homozygous c.1683dup individual, whereas BICD1 was detected in an unaffected individual. Our findings indicate that bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in BICD1 are associated with hearing loss and peripheral neuropathy. Definitive evidence that bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in BICD1 cause peripheral neuropathy and hearing loss will require the identification of other families and individuals with similar variants with the same phenotype. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders 2.0)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Mechanisms and Interventions for Neurological and Psychological Disorders 2.0"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (8 papers)

Research

Review

Other

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI