Progress in Pharmacological Approaches and Drug Delivery Strategies Targeting Neurological Ailments

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Background

Progress in brain aging research during the last few decades has led to new understanding of different cells in the nervous system across life span. However, many of the most important promises of this research area have yet to be fulfilled. Indeed, there is not yet sufficient knowledge to prevent or treat effectively many highly prevalent and disabling neurological diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases and mental disorders. Most of the risks and benefits related to applications of this knowledge remain possibilities rather than facts. The diverse social ramifications of these applications can only be anticipated, not confidently projected. Research on “Neuropharmacology” is a topic that bears watching by scientists, health care professionals, industrialists, and policy makers. Now may be a propitious time to search for ways to translate neuroscience into application, and to anticipate the need for public discussion.

Applying the best therapeutically approach is of great importance for translational brain research. Nowadays, all recent efforts have been devoted to effectively attenuate, or even reverse, the motor and functional deficits that likely occur in the diseased and aged brain. While most clinical trials on brain damage have failed, or are faded to be partially successful, many reasons are raised, and the most critical issue is the time window between disease onset and further clinical assistance. Aging and sex differences may also play an important role in the efficacy of drug strategy. Although it may be possible to predict the disease event based on clinical signs or biochemical aspects, and plan a pre-clinical strategy accordingly, this is not applied as it should be in most cases. Therefore, most therapies are applied chronically in patients, and these limitations may be considered as critical for brain recovery.

In this regard, this Research Topic aims to present the new developments on pharmacological approaches and drug delivery strategies targeting brain cells as a way to improve the treatment scheme against neurological ailments. Indeed, we will also focus on a rational protective mechanistic design based on the structure-function relation, and potential translational remarks for further therapy against injury to the brain.

Subtopics of interest include but are not limited to:
• Mechanisms of drug delivery to brain targeting neuroprotection;
• Pharmacological approaches to counteract acute and chronic brain neurodegeneration;
• Novel drug approaches applied to mental/psychiatric disorders;
• Neuropharmacological strategies in clinical trials;
• Neuromodulation of glial cells;
• Impact of brain sex differences and aging on the effectiveness of brain-targeted drugs.

This Research Topic is organized around the Neuroscience Summit, the first Neuroscience conference in Limerick bringing together the experts in the field. All contributors to the Neuroscience Summit are encouraged to submit their work to this Research Topic. Contributions are also welcome from authors who do not attend the conference." We will consider Original Research manuscripts, Review articles, Brief Research Report, General Commentary, Opinion, and Clinical Trials.

Keywords: Brain, Hormones, Neurodegenerative diseases, Cerebrovascular diseases, Glia, Drug delivery, Mental disorders, Sex differences, Neuroprotection, Aging, Neuropeptides, Synthetic compounds

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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