About this Research Topic

Background

In the last two decades, there has been extensive discovery and technology development in understanding the baseline function of respiratory networks. These advances have been utilized to push forward discovery in many disease fields, some of which have significant similarities in disease initiation and progression. We hope this Special Topic serves as a resource that highlights these advances in the context of respiratory diseases and disease that affect respiration. We believe these articles will help generate a bigger picture and better understanding of the many ways in which respiration can go wrong and some of the ways it can be helped along. With a focus on control of breathing, this Research Topic aims to cover a variety of neurological- and injury-based models of respiratory dysfunction, with an emphasis on mechanisms of dysfunction and potential therapeutic approaches aimed at ameliorating dysfunction.

The theme will cover a gamut of diseases including, but not limited to, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, spinocerebellar ataxia), developmental disorders (e.g., sudden infant death syndrome, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, apnea of prematurity, Rett syndrome), motoneuron and muscle diseases (e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy, Pompe disease, muscular dystrophy), neural injuries (e.g., spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury), and other neurological conditions that result in breathing abnormalities (e.g., sleep disorders – central and obstructive sleep apneas; mood disorders – depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia). We will solicit articles that discuss novel mechanisms involved in etiology and/or progression of respiratory dysfunction in various models as well as in clinical research, including studies that test known or suspected underlying mechanisms and causes, as well as prophylactic intervention efficacy.

The focus will be basic science using diverse animal models, but not exclusionary of clinical studies as applicable. Clinical epidemiological studies and outcomes research that could provide direction for future mechanism-elucidating research will also be considered. While our focus will be in soliciting primary research articles, we will also accept review articles that either (1) outline novel methods in the field to test molecular mechanisms and/or therapeutic interventions or (2) highlight clinical and epidemiological perspectives on mechanisms, interventions, and outcomes associated with neurological disease- and/or injury-related respiratory dysfunction in the human population.

We would like to extend special thanks to the coordinators of this Research Topic: 1) Robert Wadolowski, who is currently affiliated with Stony Brook University, NY, USA. His research interests include control of breathing in neurodegenerative diseases. 2) Dr. Savannah Lusk, who is currently affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, USA. Her research interests include control of breathing and the etiology of sudden infant death syndrome.

Keywords: breathing in disease, neurodegenerative respiratory pathology, developmental respiratory pathology, motoneuron and muscular respiratory pathology, disordered breathing, respiratory therapeutics

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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