The effect of viruses on neurodegenerative diseases

Guest Editors

Andrew Noel Bubak, MS, PhD, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA
Maria Nagel, MD, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 17 February 2025

BMC Neurology is calling for submissions to a forthcoming Collection focused on exploring viral influence on neurodegenerative diseases. The goal of this collection is to focus on the intricate relationship between viruses and neurodegenerative diseases, including viral mechanisms, epidemiology and risk factors, viral-induced neuroinflammation, viral mimicry, emerging viruses, and therapeutic strategies.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Andrew Noel Bubak, MS, PhD, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA

Dr Andrew Bubak is a neurovirologist with a focus on exploring how viruses contribute to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. His research primarily investigates the varicella zoster virus (VZV) — the pathogen responsible for chickenpox and shingles — and its links to Alzheimer’s disease development. He is particularly interested in understanding how initial immune responses to VZV (and other viruses) in the olfactory system, while effective in controlling the infection, might lead to long-term neurological vulnerabilities, potentially accelerating neurodegenerative processes through mechanisms of neurotoxicity.

Maria Nagel, MD, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA

Dr Maria Nagel is a physician-scientist specializing in viral infections of the nervous system. Her lab at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center examines how the chicken pox and shingles virus (varicella zoster virus) causes stroke, heart attacks, and dementia. Her lab also examines the role of the cold sore virus (HSV-1) in migraines, facial pain, and cognitive impairment. In her Neurology Clinic, she evaluates and manages patients with neuroinfectious diseases. Exciting new work in her lab demonstrates that zoster (shingles) confers an amyloid-promoting environment, potentially accelerating amyloid-associated diseases of aging including Alzheimer's dementia, diabetes mellitus, and macular degeneration. She recently started Pharmavir, Inc. with her colleague, Dr. Andrew Bubak, to develop a repurposed drug for virus infections and dementia.

About the Collection

BMC Neurology is calling for submissions to a forthcoming Collection focused on exploring viral influence on neurodegenerative diseases. The goal of this collection is to focus on the intricate relationship between viruses and neurodegenerative diseases, including viral mechanisms, epidemiology and risk factors, viral-induced neuroinflammation, viral mimicry, emerging viruses, and therapeutic strategies.

Continued research into the effect viruses have on neurodegenerative diseases is central to unraveling the complex interplay between viral infections and the onset or progression of neurological disorders. Viruses have long been implicated in triggering or exacerbating conditions like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Understanding the precise mechanisms through which viruses interact with neuronal cells and the immune system is essential for developing targeted therapeutic interventions. Exploring the epidemiology and risk factors associated with viral infections can provide insights into potential preventive strategies. Investigating viral-induced neuroinflammation and viral mimicry can offer valuable clues into the underlying pathological processes driving neurodegeneration. Given the increasing recognition of the role viruses play in neurological diseases, further research efforts are needed to elucidate the intricate dynamics of this relationship and to pave the way for innovative treatment approaches.

Topics of interest to this Collection include, but are not limited to:

Viral mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease
Epidemiology of viral infections in Parkinson's disease
Role of viral-induced neuroinflammation in ALS
Viral mimicry and neurodegenerative disorders
Emerging viruses and their impact on neurodegeneration
Therapeutic strategies targeting viral infections in neurodegenerative diseases
Immune response to viral infections in neurodegeneration
Influence of host genetics and viral interactions on neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "The effect of viruses on neurodegenerative diseases" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.