New Insights in Marine Mammal Neurosciences

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About this Research Topic

Submission deadlines

  1. Manuscript Submission Deadline 5 April 2025

  2. This Research Topic is still accepting articles.

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Background

Marine mammals inhabit a unique ecological niche. They are homeotherms and some of them are long-lived species at the top of the marine food chain. Thus, they are bioindicator species and considered sentinels of the health of the marine ecosystem.
With increased interest in non-human intelligence and the advent of increasingly accessible novel technologies, investigations on the nervous system of marine mammals are ripe to evolve from single physioanatomical and pathological studies into an integrated, multidisciplinary field of marine mammal neuroscience.
The lifespan of some marine mammals can equate and exceed that of humans, making them an exciting and possibly more authentic comparative natural model than current ones for the study of certain brain pathologies. On one side, recent studies have drawn some attention to neurodegenerative diseases in some marine mammals (mainly some Delphinidae species and the California sea lion); it has been suggested that these animals might be one of the very few potential natural models of Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, a wide range of pathogens (virus, bacteria, and parasites) as well as neoplastic and neurodevelopmental disorders have also been described, although further understanding of pathogenetic mechanisms is crucial.
On the other side, it is fundamental to establish modern comparative neuroanatomical and -physiological references of the marine mammal brain, with a particular interest in the highly specialized cetacean brain. Unihemispheric sleep, the glymphatic system, and diving adaptations, constitute some of the many unique features of the cetacean brain. Out of around 90 cetacean species, only a small fraction has undergone detailed neuroanatomical investigation. Many unknowns, including neurodevelopmental processes, the ability to sustain higher cognitive functions during dives, the source of cetacean melatonin, the neural basis of vocal learning, and the potential presence of unconventional sensory modalities (e.g., magnetoception) merit scientific scrutiny.
Systematic comparative studies may unravel significant discoveries relevant to the fundamental understanding of mammalian brain evolution, marine conservation, and animal and human health.
With this in view, we open this Research Topic to increase the current knowledge on physioanatomy and neuropathology, and to promote novel, repeatable neuroscientific approaches in marine mammals, with a special focus on comparative aspects.

We welcome submissions from all fields of comparative neuroscience in marine mammals, with a special interest in works comparing them to humans. These unconventional species may give new insights into the structure and function of the brain, the selective vulnerability of some neuronal populations, and the brain response to environmental triggers. Research articles with the latest scientific breakthroughs in the field will be strongly considered. Nevertheless, other typologies of manuscripts will be considered for publication.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Data Report
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Opinion
  • Original Research

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Data Report
  • Editorial
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods
  • Mini Review
  • Opinion
  • Original Research
  • Perspective
  • Review
  • Systematic Review
  • Technology and Code

Keywords: brain, marine mammals, aquatic mammals, cetacean, sirenian, pinniped, whales, dolphins, neuroanatomy, neuroscience

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