About this Research Topic
Traditionally, our approach to understanding nervous system development and function has been predominantly neurocentric and has focused on the brain as an isolated autonomous organ. This approach has failed to identify the basis of complex cognitive function and cannot explain how neuronal circuit dynamics generate plastic behavioral outcomes or how many neuropathologies arise.
A breakthrough in the neuroscience field was identifying the role of glial cells in nervous system development and function. Now overwhelming evidence suggests that the brain is also modulated by extra-synaptic and inter-organ communication, systemic signals, and even environmental compounds and microbial metabolites. Moreover, an increasing number of features of the nervous system are now known to be under the influence of sex and age. Despite recent advances, multiple aspects still need to be addressed to fully understand how factors internal and external to the brain modulate the nervous system. Gaining insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these multifactorial interactions is crucial to getting a comprehensive overview of the field. Multidisciplinary studies, that combine approaches and areas that have not been previously explored together will pave the ground for future neuroscience research.
In this Research Topic, we are looking to address key aspects of the development and function of the nervous system from an integrative neuroscience perspective, to promote the discussion around this topic and facilitate knowledge dissemination.
Specifically, this Research Topic aims to:
i.) Highlight the limitations of a neurocentric approach while emphasizing the need for integrative studies and approaches in the field.
ii.) Compile emerging evidence of how factors intrinsic and extrinsic to the nervous system contribute to modulating the nervous system development and function, such as non-neuronal cells from the nervous system, different tissues, environmental factors, sex, and age, amongst others.
iii.) Describe novel methods developed to study inter-tissue interactions and their modulation of the brain.
iv.) Bring debate to the neuroscience community and provide perspectives from world-leading neuroscientists on emerging themes and new frontiers in the field.
We welcome the submission of review, perspective, original research, and methods articles providing a non-neurocentric angle on the following sub-topics applied to either the healthy, aging or diseased brain:
- Nutritional control of nervous system development and behavior.
- Interaction of the immune and nervous system (commensal and pathogen-related metabolites, neuroinflammation, etc.)
- Gut-brain axis and other metabolic interactions across tissues
- Glia-neuron crosstalk in energy homeostasis and signal transduction
- Role of non-neuronal cells and mechanical forces in nervous system assembly
- A holistic view of sexual cues (genetic and hormonal) in brain function
- Control of synaptic function, neural circuits, and behavior by non-neuronal peptides
- Cell diversity and plasticity in the brain
- Regulation of neural stem cell behavior by extrinsic factors (diet, circadian rhythms, inflammation, etc.)
- Non-neuronal cells as targets for tissue regeneration approaches
- Evolution of the nervous system
-Genetic and epigenetic regulation of the nervous system
A breakthrough in the neuroscience field was identifying the role of glial cells in nervous system development and function. Now overwhelming evidence suggests that the brain is also modulated by extra-synaptic and inter-organ communication, systemic signals, and even environmental compounds and microbial metabolites. Moreover, an increasing number of features of the nervous system are now known to be under the influence of sex and age. Despite recent advances, multiple aspects still need to be addressed to fully understand how factors internal and external to the brain modulate the nervous system. Gaining insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these multifactorial interactions is crucial to getting a comprehensive overview of the field. Multidisciplinary studies, that combine approaches and areas that have not been previously explored together will pave the ground for future neuroscience research.
In this Research Topic, we are looking to address key aspects of the development and function of the nervous system from an integrative neuroscience perspective, to promote the discussion around this topic and facilitate knowledge dissemination.
Specifically, this Research Topic aims to:
i.) Highlight the limitations of a neurocentric approach while emphasizing the need for integrative studies and approaches in the field.
ii.) Compile emerging evidence of how factors intrinsic and extrinsic to the nervous system contribute to modulating the nervous system development and function, such as non-neuronal cells from the nervous system, different tissues, environmental factors, sex, and age, amongst others.
iii.) Describe novel methods developed to study inter-tissue interactions and their modulation of the brain.
iv.) Bring debate to the neuroscience community and provide perspectives from world-leading neuroscientists on emerging themes and new frontiers in the field.
We welcome the submission of review, perspective, original research, and methods articles providing a non-neurocentric angle on the following sub-topics applied to either the healthy, aging or diseased brain:
- Nutritional control of nervous system development and behavior.
- Interaction of the immune and nervous system (commensal and pathogen-related metabolites, neuroinflammation, etc.)
- Gut-brain axis and other metabolic interactions across tissues
- Glia-neuron crosstalk in energy homeostasis and signal transduction
- Role of non-neuronal cells and mechanical forces in nervous system assembly
- A holistic view of sexual cues (genetic and hormonal) in brain function
- Control of synaptic function, neural circuits, and behavior by non-neuronal peptides
- Cell diversity and plasticity in the brain
- Regulation of neural stem cell behavior by extrinsic factors (diet, circadian rhythms, inflammation, etc.)
- Non-neuronal cells as targets for tissue regeneration approaches
- Evolution of the nervous system
-Genetic and epigenetic regulation of the nervous system
Keywords: Nervous System, Systemic Signals, Non-neuronal Cells
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.
