Molecular Research on Brain Injury

Dear Colleagues,

Injuries to the brain can happen in many ways and are classified into two main categories: traumatic and non-traumatic. Non-traumatic brain injuries can be caused by a variety of conditions including strokes, metabolic disorders, tumors, aneurysms, prolonged seizures, cardiac arrest, oxygen deprivation, and toxins, to name a few. In contrast to a traumatic brain injury (TBI), these injuries are not the result of an external physical force that impacts or penetrates the head. Nonetheless, the short- and long-term effects of a non-traumatic brain injury (non-TBI) occur as they do after a TBI. A closed head injury TBI, an injury to the brain caused by an external force, can be classified as mild, moderate or severe. TBIs can also be classified based on the mechanism that caused it, as a closed or penetrating head injury, or as a blast-induced TBI. Brain injuries disrupt the normal flow of complex communications and interactions between cells in the brain. The impacts of these injuries result in neurological deficits. These deficits involve motor, sensory, cognitive and/or emotional components. Numerous researchers have used molecular biology and electrophysiological methods to investigate the pathophysiological alterations that occur in the brain’s neuronal circuits that compromise function after injury. This open access Special Issue will bring together new research and review articles on molecular biological and electrophysiological mechanisms that alter normal brain function after brain injury. Delineating the molecular and electrophysiological mechanisms of the cells and environment surrounding the injury, and developing treatments using current molecular tools, including single-cell sequencing, will advance our understanding of the complex interactions and lead to the restoration of normal brain function. These results may lead to the discovery of new molecular diagnostics, novel therapeutic targets, and better outcomes.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include:

• Closed traumatic brain injury;
• Penetrating traumatic brain injury;
• Chronic traumatic encephalopathy;
• Blast-induced traumatic brain injury;
• Ischemic stroke;
• Hemorrhagic stroke;
• Status epilepticus;
• Meningitis;
• COVID-19-related brain injury;
• AIDS-related brain injury;
• Toxin-induced brain injury;
• Multiple-sclerosis-induced brain injury;
• Therapeutics on the horizon for brain injuries.

Dr. Ann M. Marini
Dr. Maria Fatima M. Braga
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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