Neurodegeneration in Cognitive Impairment and Mood Disorders for Experimental, Clinical, and Translational Neuropsychiatry—Second Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Neurodegeneration is the progressive atrophy and subsequent functional loss of neurons responsible for the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. This degenerative change of neurons may take place on molecular, cellular, histological, functional, and organizational levels; may initiate in the prodromal stage during the early gestational period in neurodevelopmental disorders; and may progress to the progression and exacerbation of neuropsychiatric symptoms in mental illnesses. It is particularly important to understand degenerative changes in the neural correlates of consciousness and pay attention to the cognitive and emotional domains in the development of neuropsychiatric disorders. Thus, probing neurodegenerative changes is of great importance for susceptibility detection, understanding pathogenesis and progression, and discovering novel therapeutic targets. Moreover, many branches of neuroscience can help us understand the underlying biological factors and neural computations behind brain impairments, neurodegeneration, and psychiatric disorders, as well as determine where and how to focus on research and treatment. Currently, most neurodegenerative diseases lack effective disease-modifying treatments, highlighting the urgent need for new and effective therapeutic strategies. In recent years, noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial electric current stimulation (TES), have been developed for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. These techniques have been shown to have meaningful cognitive outcomes in various neurodegenerative diseases, and their mechanistic approach aims to modulate local and spread-out effects via structural connectivity to rebalance the abnormal activity levels between different brain regions. Importantly, NIBS has been linked to the induction of neuroplasticity, which refers to the ability of the brain to reorganize by forming new neural connections throughout life. By stimulating the brain and promoting the formation of new neural connections, NIBS may help improve the symptoms and functional outcomes in conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases.

This Special Issue highlights the most recent advances in experimental, clinical, and translational research in the field of neuropsychiatry, focusing on neurodegeneration and neural correlates of the development of cognitive impairment and psychiatric emotional disturbance. We invite authors to contribute comprehensive review and original research articles focusing on (but not limited to) the following:

• Etiology, pathogenesis, and mechanisms of progression;
• Early diagnosis, including biomarkers, bioimaging, and biosensors;
• Prophylactic, disease-modifying, and therapeutic strategies and novel targets;
• Novel drug discovery and development, naturally driven biomedicines, natural bioactive molecules, and vaccines;
• Preclinical in vitro and animal models;
• Bench-to-bedside translational research;
• Bedside-to-bench translational research;
• Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Simone Battaglia
Dr. Masaru Tanaka
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• aging decline
• mild cognitive impairment
• multiple sclerosis
• stroke
• psychiatric disorders
• depressive disorder
• bipolar disorder
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• anxiety disorder
• schizophrenia
• somatic symptom disorder
• autism spectrum disorder
• hyperactive attention deficit disorder
• learning disabilities
• acquired brain damage
• altered cognitive processes
• brain functional impairment
• neurocognitive disorders
• cognitive, behavioral, and functional disorders
• acquired trauma
• brain plasticity and connectivity
• non-invasive brain stimulation
• diagnosis and treatment
• functional evidence of altered cognition and connectivity

• Neurodegeneration in Cognitive Impairment and Mood Disorders for Experimental, Clinical and Translational Neuropsychiatry in Biomedicines (13 articles)