About this Research Topic

Background

Electroceuticals are a class of therapeutics used to stimulate, block and record neural signals to modify functions of the body. Also called neural electroceuticals, electrotherapies or bioelectronics, small and diverse electronic implants, as well as less-invasive externally worn devices, can treat a range of disorders; such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, impaired hearing and vision, rheumatoid arthritis, and hypertension. Putative forthcoming electrotherapies concern migraine, epilepsy, diabetes, asthma, obesity, allergies, infertility, and possibly even cancer, to name a few. Combined with artificial intelligence (AI), electroceuticals can be efficiently applied as complementary or alternative interventions to traditional pharmaceuticals, with improved patient specificity and efficacy.

The use of electrical stimulation in medicine is not new, with the first cardiac pacemaker implanted in 1958 and the first cochlear implant in 1961. Nonetheless, electroceutical technology is still in its infancy, with a plethora of new and potentially disruptive devices still in development. In addition, the modes of action of electrical stimulation are relatively poorly understood, with a need for greater knowledge of the mechanistic underpinnings, be they target specific or generic. Also important are off-target effects and potential disease adaptation to stimulation, with the latter informing the design of “next-generation” electroceuticals. Notwithstanding the challenges, progress is being enabled by new research alliances between a range of disciplines involving engineers, biologists, clinicians, computer scientists, technologists and ethicists, and further bolstered by increasing interest by medtech and pharmaceuticals companies. It also aligns with the new frontier of personalized or precision medicine through targeted intervention.

This Research Topic considers electroceuticals in neurology for the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the central and peripheral nervous systems (and their subdivisions, the autonomic and somatic nervous systems). We aim to include Original Full Length Research and Review articles, as well as Brief Research Report and Mini Review articles relating to the topic. A wide range of contributions are therefore encouraged, extending from pre-clinical through to clinical research for development of methods and devices (invasive and non-invasive) for regulating and reading (offering closed-loop regulation) purposes. Research articles may describe, but are not limited to, in vitro and in vivo experimentation, in silico/computational modelling, and brain-computer interfacing. In addition, we welcome perspective articles on current and emerging bioelectronic technologies in medicine, the bio-mechanisms of “neural electroceuticals”, and the ethical implications for their use.

Keywords: electroceuticals, electrical stimulation, neural stimulation, bioelectronics, electrotherapy, electronic implants

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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