Neuroanatomy, Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration

A special issue of Anatomia (ISSN 2813-0545).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 7087

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Institute of Anatomy, Rostock University Medical Center, 18057 Rostock, Germany
2. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Interests: neuroinflammation; neurodegeneration; bacterial meningitis; antimicrobial peptides; Alzheimer’s disease; multiple sclerosis; glia cells; pattern recognition receptors
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The nervous system can be divided into gray and white matter, peripheral and central nervous system, somatic and autonomic nervous system, or afferents and efferents according to different aspects. The cells of the nervous system can be divided into nerve cells (neurons) and glial cells, whereby the number of glial cells exceeds the number of neurons many times over. Glial cells are further divided into microglia and macroglia. While the microglial cells are representatives of the innate immune system, the astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and ependymal cells are counted among the central macroglia. In the context of the inflammatory processes in the nervous system, the relationship of the brain cells is disturbed, and the glial cells in particular probably play a decisive role in the progression of the disease. As a consequence, as in, for example, Alzheimer's disease or multiple sclerosis, the neurons die, i.e., neurodegenerative processes occur. Overall, the causes and pathophysiological processes of many neuroinflammatory or neurodegenerative diseases of the nervous system have not yet been clarified and are the focus of many scientific investigations.

This Special Issue seeks reviews and original papers covering a wide range of hot topics related to new studies around neuroanatomy, neuroinflammation, and neuroidegeneration to understand the interactions between the brain cells, networking of different brain areas and the following pathophysiological processes, the importance of the inflammatory response for the progression of diseases, and current developments of new forms of therapy for neurological diseases. 

Prof. Dr. Lars Ove Brandenburg
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nervous system
  • brain
  • neurons
  • glial cells
  • neuroinflammation
  • neurodegeneration
  • immune system

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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8 pages, 1227 KiB  
Communication
Hippocampal Asymmetry Increases with Age
by Florian Kurth and Eileen Luders
Anatomia 2023, 2(4), 328-335; https://doi.org/10.3390/anatomia2040029 - 16 Oct 2023
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Abstract
It is unclear whether differences between the two brain hemispheres become larger or smaller with increasing age. Given that the hippocampus is particularly susceptible to age-related changes, here, we set out to investigate the correlation between chronological age and hippocampal asymmetry, both for [...] Read more.
It is unclear whether differences between the two brain hemispheres become larger or smaller with increasing age. Given that the hippocampus is particularly susceptible to age-related changes, here, we set out to investigate the correlation between chronological age and hippocampal asymmetry, both for the hippocampal complex as a whole and in cytoarchitectonically defined subregions (cornu ammonis 1, 2, 3, dentate gyrus, subiculum, and entorhinal cortex). We analyzed T1-weighted data of the brain from a sample of 725 healthy individuals (406 women/319 men) spanning a wide age range (36–100 years) from The Lifespan Human Connectome Project in Aging. Correlations between the absolute asymmetry index and chronological age were positive for all six subregions and also for the hippocampal complex as a whole, albeit effects the effects were not significant for the dentate gyrus. This suggests that, overall, hippocampal asymmetry increases with increasing age (i.e., the left and right hippocampi become more different over time). Given that the subregions of the hippocampal complex serve different brain functions, follow-up research is needed to explore the functional implications within the framework of brain aging. In addition, longitudinal studies will be necessary to confirm the observed cross-sectional effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuroanatomy, Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration)
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Other

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10 pages, 4135 KiB  
Case Report
Brain Abscess Secondary to an Apparently Benign Transorbital Injury: An Infrequent Case Report with Literature Review
by Hakija Bečulić, Emir Begagić, Rasim Skomorac, Aldin Jusić, Edin Selimović, Lejla Čejvan and Mirza Pojskić
Anatomia 2023, 2(3), 243-252; https://doi.org/10.3390/anatomia2030022 - 9 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1696
Abstract
Intraorbital and transorbital injuries are included in the group of head injuries with low frequency. In particular, such injuries rarely result in infectious processes in the brain parenchyma. This case presents a case where a 57-year-old man reported to the neurosurgery department that [...] Read more.
Intraorbital and transorbital injuries are included in the group of head injuries with low frequency. In particular, such injuries rarely result in infectious processes in the brain parenchyma. This case presents a case where a 57-year-old man reported to the neurosurgery department that he had sustained an injury to the conjunctiva of the upper eyelid a month earlier. The patient was injured by a tree branch, which he removed on his own initiative. After persistent eye abduction palsy, an MRI was performed, which showed a compressive mass in the frontal lobe of the brain. A surgical procedure was indicated, which found a piece of twig 3 mm long inside the abscess. Surgical intervention and antibiotic therapy led to the complete recovery of the patient. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuroanatomy, Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration)
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10 pages, 950 KiB  
Hypothesis
Self-Similarity and Spatial Periodicity in Cerebral Cortical Patterning: Structural Design Notes for Neural Tissue Architects
by Nicolas Rouleau and Nirosha J. Murugan
Anatomia 2023, 2(3), 222-231; https://doi.org/10.3390/anatomia2030020 - 21 Jul 2023
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Abstract
Tissue engineering is a powerful tool with which to systematically identify the determinants of biological functions. Applied to the design and fabrication of biomimetic brains, tissue engineering serves to disentangle the complex anatomy of neural circuits and pathways by recapitulating structure-function relationships in [...] Read more.
Tissue engineering is a powerful tool with which to systematically identify the determinants of biological functions. Applied to the design and fabrication of biomimetic brains, tissue engineering serves to disentangle the complex anatomy of neural circuits and pathways by recapitulating structure-function relationships in simplified model systems. The complex neuroanatomy of the cerebral cortex, with its enigmatic columnar and stratified cytoarchitectonic organization, represents a major challenge toward isolating the minimal set of elements that are required to assemble neural tissues with cognitive functions. Whereas considerable efforts have highlighted important genetic and physical correlates of early cortical tissue patterning, no substantive attempt to identify the determinants of how the cortices acquire their relatively conserved, narrow range of numbered layers is evident in the literature. Similarly, it is not yet clear whether cortical columns and laminae are functionally relevant or epiphenomena of embryonic neurodevelopment. Here, we demonstrate that spatial frequencies (m−1) derived from the width-to-height ratios of cerebral cortical columns predict sinusoids with a narrow range of spatial cycles over the average cortical thickness. The resulting periodicities, denoted by theoretical wavenumbers, reflect the number of observed cortical layers among humans and across several other species as revealed by a comparative anatomy approach. We present a hypothesis that cortical columns and their periodic layers are emergent of the intrinsic spatial dimensions of neurons and their nested, self-similar aggregate structures including minicolumns. Finally, we discuss the implications of periodic tissue patterns in the context of neural tissue engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuroanatomy, Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration)
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