Role of Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Metabolic Dysfunction in Neurodevelopmental and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Pharmacological Targets and Therapeutic Interventions

Dear Colleagues,

Neurodegeneration is a multifactorial progressive phenomenon that primarily arises from neuronal loss in specific brain regions, which leads to various pathological manifestations including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Additionally, neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD mainly occur in infants and children either due to brain damage or altered gene levels. Many of the genes and molecular pathways to be targeted require further exploration.

The etiological factors associated with neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders also include neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, brain insulin resistance and impairments of the energy metabolism. These cascades might further comprise several molecular bases that result in neurodegeneration or skewed neurodevelopment. Moreover, there are inconclusive findings regarding the pathogenesis of these diseases. Currently, it is only the symptoms of these diseases that are treated, without completely halting the progression of the disease.

This Special Issue will be focused on novel targets that influence the interconnected pathways of inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolism directly or indirectly. Various potential pharmacological approaches and their mechanistic insights will be explored in order to reverse these detrimental features. Hence, we are soliciting papers that present cutting-edge research and review articles addressing molecular and cellular mechanisms that have not been explored in great detail previously. It is hoped that these can enhance our understanding of innovative therapeutic strategies and open avenues for future clinical research.

Dr. Ansab Akhtar
Guest Editor

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