Immune and oxidative pathways in psychiatric disorders

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Background

Psychiatric disorders affect 450 million people worldwide and represent a great medical and social challenge. At the social level, people suffering from psychiatric disorders are victims of stigma and discrimination, both inside and outside psychiatric institutions, with a significant impact on their personal and professional life. At the medical level, the neurobiology of these disorders is not fully elucidated, which is translated into the limited success of treatments available. Advances in clinical and preclinical research have identified that activation of immune and oxidative (I&O) pathways are intertwined key pathologic factors. Despite the obvious differences in clinical outcomes, mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorders, and schizophrenia share common pathological alterations, including microglial activation, pro-inflammatory cytokines signaling, reduced antioxidant defenses, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, disturbance of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), mitochondrial dysfunction, and energy impairment. The exact mechanisms underlying the link between immune-inflammatory activation, oxidative stress, and psychiatric disorders are not fully elucidated and the identification of novel drug targets and pharmacological approaches targeting I&O pathways is a hot topic of research. Of note, the emerging field of immune-neuropsychiatry reinforces the fact that the brain is not inert neither immune-privileged and can be governed by peripheral immune mechanisms. Besides, the brain is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress due to the high consumption of oxygen, high lipid content, and relatively low levels of antioxidant defenses. In this sense, therapeutic strategies targeting I&O pathways represent promising approaches to the management of neuropsychiatric disorders.



In this Research Topic, we aim to bring together academics, basic scientists, and clinicians to provide novel insights on the role of inflammation and oxidative stress on the etiology of psychiatric disorders and on the identification of novel molecular targets and pharmacological interventions that modulate I&O pathways. Original Articles and Brief Research Reports describing animal and human studies addressing I&O pathways in the etiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders are welcome. Reviews, Mini Reviews, Opinions, and Perspective Articles to create a cohesive understanding of recent advances, future directions, and current controversies involving I&O pathways in psychiatric disorders are also welcome. In view of the interdisciplinary nature of this subject, topics to be addressed are, but not limited to:



· Cellular, molecular, and behavioral studies describing I&O pathways implicated in the etiology of psychiatric disorders;

· Cellular, molecular, and behavioral studies of novel therapeutic approaches or repurposed drugs targeting I&O pathways on psychiatric disorders;

· Original research assessing sexual dimorphism of I&O pathways activation in the etiology of psychiatric disorders and therapeutic response;

· Reviews, mini-reviews, and perspectives on current developments in the field, including methodological developments, conceptual advances, and current controversies.

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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