Unveiling the Impact of Metabolism on Neuroscience
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2023) | Viewed by 5200
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Understanding the pathways of a balanced metabolism of neurons and glial cells is not only essential for understanding cognition and normal brain plasticity, but also for approaching any physiopathologic event linked to hypoxia and oxidative stress. As the brain tissue exhibits a particularly high demand for oxygen and glucose, an acute disruption of the blood supply leads within minutes to energy deficits in the affected brain regions. An ischemic stroke is therefore not only one of the major leading causes of death and invalidity worldwide, but also one of the most studied metabolic imbalance conditions within the CNS. Hypoxia and the accumulation of toxic metabolites lead to a loss of ion gradients and membrane potentials, in turn leading to cellular depolarisation, and depending on the extent and duration of energy deficiency, this translates into a neuronal and glial loss of function, and further on, into irreversible morphological changes, i.e., necrosis and apoptosis. The degradation of cellular membranes is also followed by the excessive release of glutamate, which together with an impaired glutamate reuptake promotes neuronal excitotoxicity and free radical-induced neuronal death. During aging, a decrease in glucose and oxygen metabolic rates occur at the level of neurons and glial cells, and this decrease is further accelerated in stroke and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson's, disease, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This Special Issue, entitled “Unveiling the Impact of Metabolism on Neuroscience”, is focused on the molecular mechanisms describing metabolic energy and glucose pathways in the nervous system, inhibitory/excitatory mediator balances, free radical production and impact, signaling factors promoting the survival or death of neurons and glial cells, and on the diffusion and drainage of any catabolites and solutes from the interstitial fluid through the perivascular spaces towards the lymphatics of the head and neck, in both normal conditions, aging, and in different pathologies, or in different cellular/animal models. Methodologically, this Special Issue welcomes articles that provide insights on the molecular neuropathology of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, ion balance and Ca2+ signaling, mitochondrial molecular mechanisms, oxidative stress, the characterisation of the redox environment, the intake and utilisation of oxygen, glucose, water diffusion, macromolecule tracing, functional imaging and EEG reflected in molecular pathology and molecular neuropathology. Altogether, this Special Issue welcomes submissions of original research and review articles related to any aspect of the molecular mechanisms and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and stroke, as well as the follow-up and characterisation of novel biomarkers and treatment options.
Dr. Daniel Nicolae Pirici
Guest Editor
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
- neurodegenerative diseases
- stroke
- molecular neuropathology
- metabolomics
- Ca2+ signaling
- oxidative stress
- water diffusion
- macromolecule tracing
