Translational Neuroscience and Reverse Translational Neuroscience: What’s Giving Us Hope?

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About this Research Topic

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Background

The number of people affected by a neurological disorder is increasing globally. It is reported that neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years and the second leading cause of death worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, one in every four people is affected by a neurological or mental illness and, as such, brain disorders are considered one of the greatest threats to public health.

Neuroscientists have tried to aid in the development of promising interventions and applications to help assist clinical patients with neurological disorders, however, much research has, thus far, failed to add valuable insight to the clinical field. The collaboration between neurologists in clinics, neuropathologists, neuroradiologists and neuroscientists in wet and dry labs is particularly important in magnifying clinical concerns, selecting appropriate methodological approaches, inventing tools and technologies, and translating these findings into interventions and treatments for patients. This Topic will, therefore, help to direct tomorrow's translational neuroscience (bench to bedside) research into meaningful clinical outcomes in collaboration with clinicians and neuroscientists in the fields of neurology and neuropsychiatry. Although translational research is conceived commonly as flowing from basic bench research to preclinical model experiments to clinical experiments to application, reverse translational research describes a thoughtful exploration of clinical research results in a preclinical model. Simply, it is moving from Bench to bed side and the vice versa.

This Topic aims to understand not only the underlying mechanisms of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders but also shed light on the urgent need of clinical field challenges, difficulties, and obstacles which require urgent solutions for a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as: epilepsy, Multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, addiction, autism spectrum disorder, fibromyalgia, brain tumors, stroke, traumatic brain injury, neuropathies, depression, etc.

We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini-Review, Perspective, Clinical Trial, Case Report and Opinion articles from multidisciplinary teams which highlight challenges in specific disorders and covers, but is not limited to, one or more of the following points:

• Disease mechanisms and risk factors: understanding the exact mechanisms and highlighting the potential role of different risk factors (modifiable and non-modifiable), genetic and epigenetic factors, environmental factors, gender difference etc.
• Investigation: highlighting the need for specific markers, computational tools, Bio-engineering tools etc.
• Management: highlighting the need for drug discovery, computer aided drug design, personalized medicine, medication side effects, treatment challenges, nanotechnology implications, CRISPR (nano-CRISPR), novel therapeutic interventions (e.g. stem cell), etc.
• Pre-clinical studies: reviewing experimental studies and highlighting the importance of reaching an experimental model mimicking the disease mechanism and manifestation in humans

Keywords: Translational Neuroscience, Reverse Translational Neuroscience, Bench to Bedside Research, Challenges, Investigation, Management, Pre-Clinical Research, Neurological Disorders, Neuropsychiatric Disorders

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