Astrocytes and Microglia In Sickness and in Health
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cells of the Nervous System".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 370
Special Issue Editor
Interests: microglial activation; reactive astrocytes; glia-mediated neuro-inflammation; oxidative stress; insulin resistance; hyperlipidemia; Alzheimer's disease; immunotherapy; gene therapy; polyphenols; small molecule drugs; Chinese herbal medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In both healthy and diseased states, astrocytes and microglia perform a number of physiological and pathological functions that are essential to maintain neuronal homeostasis in the central nervous system (CNS). While over-activation of these glial cells is responsible for the generation of the disease-associated neuro-inflammation, moderate glial activation can be beneficial.
Astrocytes are critical for neuronal migration, synaptogenesis, and neuroplasticity, while microglia are the predominant immune cells in the CNS. Constant surveillance of brain parenchyma by microglia with highly motile and ramified morphology allows to quickly respond to the environmental changes. During the disease progression, dysfunctional astrocytes disrupt glutamate homeostasis and lead to excitotoxicity, while senescent microglia loss the phagocytic activity. A plethora of pro-inflammatory effectors derived from over-activated astrocytes and microglia exacerbates glia-mediated neuro-inflammation that is a common pathological feature shared by many neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and other CNS diseases. Thus, revealing the regulatory mechanism of glial functions in sickness and in health could benefit the development of therapeutic drugs.
This Special Issue invites submissions of original research articles, communications, and comprehensive reviews elaborating the current developments in the field of astrocytes and/or microglia. Articles with a therapeutic perspective are especially welcome.
Dr. Feng-Shiun Shie
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- astrocytes
- CNS immune response
- Excitotoxicity
- glial rejuvenation
- microglia
- neuroinflammation
- neurological disorders
- neuroplasticity
- neuroprotection
- phagocytosis
- therapy
