Lead Editors:
Robert Vassar: Northwestern University, USA
Hui Zheng: Baylor College of Medicine, USA
Molecular Neurodegeneration is presenting a new Collection on "Glial and Vascular Contributions to Neurodegenerative Diseases".
Image credit: Artur / stock.adobe.com
Glia and vasculature play critical roles in maintaining the integrity of the central nervous system. Glia, such as astrocytes and microglia, respond to the brain microenvironment to modulate their gene expression programs and activation states, the dysfunction of which contributes to progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Similarly, the vasculature also plays a crucial role in CNS function by regulating blood flow and nutrient delivery to the brain.
Abnormalities in the blood-brain barrier can lead to peripheral infiltration of immune cells, exacerbating neurodegeneration. Additionally, age-related changes in the vasculature, such as reduced blood flow, can lead to functional decline. Therefore, understanding the role of glia and the vasculature in health and disease will facilitate the discovery of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Owing to the development of new model systems, such as iPSCs and organoids, and powerful technologies, in particular single cell and spatial transcriptomics, the field has witnessed exciting progress in the past several years.
This review series covers the latest development of these important topics by well-known experts in the field and is an outgrowth from the International Society for Molecular Neurodegeneration Conference: Glial and Vascular Contributions to Neurodegenerative Diseases (October 10-12, 2022, Athens, Greece).
Tauopathies, a group of neurodegenerative diseases that includes Alzheimer’s disease, commonly lead to disturbances in sleep-wake patterns and circadian rhythm disorders. The circadian rhythm, a recurring 24-h...
Recent genetic studies on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have brought microglia under the spotlight, as loci associated with AD risk are enriched in genes expressed in microglia. Several of these genes have been rec...
Despite expressing many key risk genes, the role of microglia in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology is somewhat ambiguous, with various phenotypes reported to be either harmful or protective. Herei...
This narrative review focuses on the role of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and peripheral lipoproteins in the vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID). Humans have a perip...
DNA sensing is a pivotal component of the innate immune system that is responsible for detecting mislocalized DNA and triggering downstream inflammatory pathways. Among the DNA sensors, cyclic GMP-AMP synthase...
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of both upper and lower motor neurons, resulting in muscle weakness, atrophy, paralysis, and eventually...
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an aging-related form of dementia associated with the accumulation of pathological aggregates of amyloid beta and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. These phenomena are accompani...
Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) is commonly caused by vascular injuries in cerebral large and small vessels and is a key driver of age-related cognitive decline. Severe VCID includes post-str...
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, results in a sustained decline in cognition. There are currently few effective disease modifying therapies for AD, but insights into the mechanisms ...
Microglia are central players in brain innate immunity and have been the subject of extensive research in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this review, we aim to summarize the genetic and functional discoveries th...