Perspectives of Astrocytes in Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Diseases: From Mechanistic Studies to Therapeutic Applications

  • 8,302

    Total downloads

  • 33k

    Total views and downloads

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

The incidence and prevalence of neurological diseases, especially neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) affecting the CNS, have increased markedly over the years. It is commonly believed that multiple factors, including age, environment, genetics, and immunity contribute to their development.

Studies have suggested that primary astrocyte dysfunction may underlie certain disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Rett syndrome, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and stroke.

Under normal physiological conditions, astrocytes outnumber other cell types in the CNS, critically contributing to brain homeostasis. In pathology, early astrocytic alterations can affect the release of neurotransmitters, neurogenic niches, neuroinflammatory response, synaptic plasticity, extracellular homeostasis, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity.
Recent advances in cellular and molecular biology, genetic and pharmacological studies have expanded our knowledge of the role of astrocytes in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. Some studies suggest that astrocytes may be able to trigger the pathology, suggesting a need to better understand their positive and negative impacts on the progression of the disease.

Targeting astrocytes thus has a potential for developing new strategies for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Recent in vitro studies have investigated the interplay between neurons and astrocytes in ASD by using ASD-derived astrocytes in combination with neuronal cultures.
These studies point to an interfering role of astrocytes in proper neuronal development and synaptogenesis.
ALS pathogenesis studies suggest that dysfunctional astrocytes contribute to the damage of motor neurons in a non-cell autonomous fashion. In this scenario, dysfunctional astrocytes display increased intracellular levels of NO synthase. This then promotes increased NO release from cell soma while glutamate uptake decreases at the synaptic cleft level of the spinal cord.

While there are controversial reports dealing with the role of astrocytes in AD pathology, astrocytes are important players in clearing the amyloid deposition in the brain via uptake and amyloid-β degradation. As the disease progresses, however, clearance levels are reduced and an amyloid-β accumulation leads astrocytes to activate and allows for a pro-inflammatory response.
Astrocytes, partnered with other glial cells contribute to neuroinflammatory response in AD brains by releasing proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and other factors.

In the case of stroke, astrocytes constitute an essential part of the neuroinflammatory response in the brain. Reactive astrogliosis accompanies multiple stages of stroke progression.
During the acute phase, astrocyte reactivity is triggered by the initial burst of pro-inflammatory signals.
The transition into the post-acute stroke phase is signified by the glial scar formation, demarcating the lesion site, and initiating brain remodeling.
Recent evidence indicates that reactive astrocytes adopt several distinct modes of activation, spanning from protective to detrimental profiles. In context with post-stroke recovery, these mechanisms are highly relevant for the development of novel restorative therapies.

Overall, regulating the function of astrocytes and identifying novel molecular targets of astrocytes, may modulate disease progression and thus help us to understand the pathophysiological basis underlying the reactivation of astrocytes which is essential when it comes to developing potential treatments for the future.

This Research Topic aims to broaden our current knowledge of astrocytic involvement in the progress of NDDs’ pathogenesis, reactive astrocyte properties in ischemic stroke conditions, and possible therapeutic strategies involving astrocytes as key players.

We welcome research articles covering broad areas of these disorders, from clinical trials to pre-clinical studies and via different experimental setups, both in vitro and in vivo, in different animal models and tissue cultures.
We also welcome the submission of reviews summarizing the recent progress and case reports relevant to this topic, in particular, rare astrocyte-related conditions, such as astrocytopathy in epilepsy, and astrocyte inclusion in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Identification of novel mechanism of astrocytic involvement in NDDs
• Experimental evidence from rare astrocyte-related diseases such as astrocytopathy
• Astrocytes’ involvement in NDD related synaptic defects, and insights extricating the mechanisms underlying synaptic loss and defects (tripartite synapse, non-cell autonomous effects, and neuroinflammation)
• Exploring the beneficial and detrimental properties of reactive astrocytes in NDDs
• Exploring possible and promising treatment options for NDDs through astrocyte targeting

Keywords: Astrocytes, Neurodevelopmental diseases, Neurodegenerative diseases, Ischemic Stroke, Reactive Astrocytes, Therapeutic Strategies

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.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 33kTopic views
  • 23kArticle views
  • 8,302Article downloads
View impact