Axonal Growth in Normal and Pathological Conditions

Axonal growth is the very first, and essential, step required to build a functional circuit within an organism. Promoting and controlling axonal growth requires multiple molecular processes that need to be tightly regulated. Indeed, the axon must import or synthesize the bricks necessary to promote elongation, axonal transport and energy production and to integrate environmental signals in order to find the correct path to its designated target. Axonal growth is mainly required during the formation of the neuronal circuit in the embryo. Interestingly, in mature system, there is now clear evidence that some plasticity is required to allow and maintain the proper function of the system. However, recent work has introduced these questions in the damaged mature nervous system. Indeed, traumatic nervous system injury, psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases are linked to severe circuit disruption and therapeutic development requires the promotion of axonal growth in adults.

This Topic’s goal is to publish the latest findings that will help to uncover and understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling axonal growth and functional circuit formation. We aim to tackle all aspects that control axonal growth, both in normal conditions during embryonic development and during pathological conditions such as axon regeneration after injury. This Research Topic will highlight all molecular mechanisms linked to axonal growth to shed light on how axonal growth mechanisms are shared between an adult steady state system, where axon elongation is usually not required, and a developing organism that relies entirely on axon growth.

In this Research Topic, we welcome contributions that provide valuable insight into cellular and molecular mechanisms of axonal growth during development and/or in adults with physio-pathological conditions. These contributions should include, but are not limited to, themes that address:

- Molecular mechanisms linked to axonal growth during development
- Axonal regeneration in the mature nervous system
- The Comparison between embryonic and adult plasticity in normal and pathological conditions
- Cellular and molecular programs of axon guidance and circuit formation
- Axonal outgrowth from adult-born neurons in the olfactory bulb and dentate gyrus
- Novel techniques and models to analyze and decipher axonal growth, including in-vitro, ex-vivo and animal models, as well as computational approaches and modelization