About this Research Topic
Stress is a major risk factor in the etiology of several psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety disorders, trauma related disorders and depressive disorders. Most of the research has focused on the effect of stress on neurons. A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that glial cells play a pivotal role in the normal functioning of the nervous system. As members of the tripartite synapse, glial cells integrate and modulate information from their synaptic inputs and communicate bidirectionally with neurons. This new conceptual framework has set the groundwork to hypothesize that glial alterations could contribute significantly to pathophysiology of mental diseases. Hence, understanding the effects of stress on glial and how these changes contribute to the development of pathological like phenotypes is crucial for both a better comprehension of mental illness and for potential targeted treatment of stress-related mental disorders.
The goal of this article collection will be to gather research on currently used approaches and recent evidence showing glial alterations (morphological and/or functional) induced by stress, the implications of this changes in the behavioral consequences of stress, and the mechanisms that could underlie these alterations. Complementary, the glial involvement in the current or novel treatments that prevent/reverse stress induced emotional sequelae will also be considered part of the research topic.
All article types currently accepted in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience can be submitted (including Original Research, Review, Methods). The general requirement is to use any valid methodology to manipulate/assess glial cell morphology/function, combined with measurements of the behavioral consequences of stress in both animal models and humans. Studies involving postmortem samples or living human patients (e.g. depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders) are also welcome.
Topic Coordinator Verena Nold is employed by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic Subject.
The goal of this article collection will be to gather research on currently used approaches and recent evidence showing glial alterations (morphological and/or functional) induced by stress, the implications of this changes in the behavioral consequences of stress, and the mechanisms that could underlie these alterations. Complementary, the glial involvement in the current or novel treatments that prevent/reverse stress induced emotional sequelae will also be considered part of the research topic.
All article types currently accepted in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience can be submitted (including Original Research, Review, Methods). The general requirement is to use any valid methodology to manipulate/assess glial cell morphology/function, combined with measurements of the behavioral consequences of stress in both animal models and humans. Studies involving postmortem samples or living human patients (e.g. depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders) are also welcome.
Topic Coordinator Verena Nold is employed by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic Subject.
Keywords: Astrocyte, Microglia, Oligodendrocyte, Stress, Emotions, Anxiety, Depression, Fear, Post traumatic stress disorder, Anxiety disorders, Brain, Animal models.
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.
