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Brain Sciences
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Chronic Non-Infectious Diseases with a High Impact on the Central...
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Chronic Non-Infectious Diseases with a High Impact on the Central Nervous System

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuropharmacology and Neuropathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 December 2025 | Viewed by 3357

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Grazyna Lietzau

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Medical University of Gdansk, Division of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Debinki 1, PL-80211 Gdansk, Poland
Interests: neurodegeneration; olfactory system; dementia; metabolic diseases; diabetes; stroke
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The incidence of certain brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke, is expected to increase in the coming years. In addition, the occurrence of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia, which have a significant impact on the CNS, increasing the risk of stroke and causing cognitive deficits, learning difficulties, motor dysfunctions (due to damage to the motor pathways), and mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, is also expected to grow. The consequences will be an additional burden on the healthcare systems and will have negative economic, social, and psychological effects. The extent of the increase will be influenced by factors such as medical advancements, public health initiatives, and changes in both healthcare access and quality. Continued research and improved healthcare strategies are needed to effectively address the projected increase in the CNS diseases.

This Special Issue of Brain Sciences seeks original research, short reports, reviews, and commentaries on the following: (1) risk factors and prevention, (2) etiopathogenesis and disease mechanisms, and 3) innovations in the field of diagnosis and therapy of chronic non-communicable diseases that affect the brain and spinal cord.

Dr. Grazyna Lietzau
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mental disorders
  • metabolic diseases
  • migraine
  • movement disorders
  • multiple sclerosis
  • neurodegenerative diseases
  • stroke

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1607 KiB  
Article
Lithium Treatment Increases FKBP5 Protein but Not mRNA Expression in the Pituitary Gland of Depressive-like Rats
by Mikołaj Kubiak, Wiktoria Majewska, Maria Kachel, Antonina Dola, Weronika Koga, Joanna Nowakowska, Wojciech Langwiński and Aleksandra Szczepankiewicz
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(4), 389; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15040389 - 10 Apr 2025
Viewed by 461
Abstract
Background: Depression is a common psychiatric disorder that may be caused by dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) plays a significant role in regulating this axis. One negative regulator of GR action, previously associated with depressive behavior, is [...] Read more.
Background: Depression is a common psychiatric disorder that may be caused by dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) plays a significant role in regulating this axis. One negative regulator of GR action, previously associated with depressive behavior, is the overexpression of FK506-binding protein 5 (FKBP5), which may be regulated by microRNAs, including miR-511-5p. Objectives: In a rat model of depression, we aimed to investigate the expression of Fkbp5 and its regulator, miRNA-511-5p, during short- and long-term lithium treatment in four brain regions: the hypothalamus, hippocampus, pituitary, and frontal cortex. Methods: We used a rat model of depression induced by chronic mild stress (CMS) to assess if short- and long-term lithium treatment (7 and 42 days) influences Fkbp5 expression in the brain. We also assessed the effects of lithium treatment on the blood levels of corticosterone in CMS-exposed rats as compared to control groups. The changes in the expression of Fkbp5 were assessed by qPCR and Western blot. The expression of rno-miR-511-5p was assessed using qPCR. Statistical analysis was conducted in GraphPad Prism 9. Results: We found that long-term lithium treatment increased the expression of the FKBP5 protein in the pituitary gland in the lithium-treated rats compared to the control group. We also observed significant changes in Fkbp5 mRNA levels between CMS-exposed rats compared to the control animals, without significant changes in mRNA levels observed during short- and long-term lithium treatment in any brain region. We found no expression of rno-miR-511-5p in the analyzed brain regions. The corticosterone levels were significantly higher in CMS-exposed rats compared to the control, with no significant changes found between lithium-treated and control rats. Conclusions: FKBP5 protein expression in the brain may be regulated by long-term lithium treatment, thus affecting GR signaling in the rat depression model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronic Non-Infectious Diseases with a High Impact on the Central Nervous System)
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16 pages, 285 KiB  
Article
Gender Differences in Clinical and Biochemical Variables of Patients Affected by Bipolar Disorder
by Luigi Piccirilli, Enrico Capuzzi, Francesca Legnani, Martina Di Paolo, Anna Pan, Alessandro Ceresa, Cecilia Maria Esposito, Luisa Cirella, Teresa Surace, Ilaria Tagliabue, Massimo Clerici and Massimiliano Buoli
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(2), 214; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15020214 - 19 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 761
Abstract
Introduction: Bipolar disorder (BD) affects over 1% of the global population and significantly impacts psychosocial functioning and life expectancy. This manuscript has the objective of investigating gender differences in the clinical and biochemical parameters of patients affected by BD. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional [...] Read more.
Introduction: Bipolar disorder (BD) affects over 1% of the global population and significantly impacts psychosocial functioning and life expectancy. This manuscript has the objective of investigating gender differences in the clinical and biochemical parameters of patients affected by BD. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study examined 672 patients diagnosed with BD in psychiatric wards in Milan and Monza. Clinical data and biochemical parameters were collected on the first day of hospitalization. Independent sample t-tests, chi-square tests and binary logistic regressions were performed to identify gender differences in BD. Results: With regard to univariate analyses, women were found to be more susceptible to psychiatric comorbidities (χ2 = 12.75, p < 0.01), medical comorbidities (χ2 = 45.38, p < 0.01), obesity (χ2 = 6.75, p = 0.01) and hypercholesterolemia (χ2 = 23.54, p < 0.01), as well as to having more mood episodes in the year prior to hospitalization (t = 5.69, p < 0.01). Men were found to be more likely to develop psychotic symptoms (χ2 = 4.40, p = 0.04), to be tobacco smokers (χ2 = 15.13, p < 0.01) and to have substance abuse disorders (χ2 = 14.66, p = <0.01). Logistic regression analyses showed that women compared to men showed more psychiatric comorbidity (p < 0.01), higher Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores (p = 0.05) and higher total cholesterol plasma levels (p < 0.01); however, they also had fewer red blood cells (p < 0.01) and lower creatinine plasma levels (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Female patients (compared to males) exhibited higher levels of global functioning despite the higher frequency of psychiatric comorbidity and susceptibility to metabolic complications; consistent with earlier studies, female patients also showed higher cholesterol levels. Further studies will have to confirm the present findings and identify gender-related clinical pathways for the management of BD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronic Non-Infectious Diseases with a High Impact on the Central Nervous System)

Review

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27 pages, 997 KiB  
Review
The Role of Selected Flavonoids in Modulating Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential
by Joanna Kruszka, Jakub Martyński, Karolina Szewczyk-Golec, Alina Woźniak and Jarosław Nuszkiewicz
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(5), 485; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15050485 - 5 May 2025
Viewed by 655
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline, amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition, tau hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress, and chronic neuroinflammation. Growing evidence highlights neuroinflammation—driven by microglial activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine release—as a key contributor to AD pathogenesis and progression. In the [...] Read more.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline, amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition, tau hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress, and chronic neuroinflammation. Growing evidence highlights neuroinflammation—driven by microglial activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine release—as a key contributor to AD pathogenesis and progression. In the absence of effective disease-modifying therapies, attention has turned to natural compounds with multi-target potential. Flavonoids, a diverse class of plant-derived polyphenols, have demonstrated neuroprotective properties through antioxidant activity, modulation of neuroinflammatory pathways, and interference with both Aβ aggregation and tau pathology. This narrative review provides an integrative overview of current findings on the mechanisms of action of key flavonoids—such as quercetin, luteolin, and apigenin—in both preclinical and clinical models. Emphasis is placed on their effects on microglial polarization, oxidative stress reduction, mitochondrial support, and synaptic function enhancement. Moreover, flavonoids show synergistic potential when combined with standard pharmacotherapies, such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and may offer broader cognitive benefits in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Despite these promising findings, significant challenges persist, including poor bioavailability, inter-individual variability, and limited long-term clinical data. This review identifies critical gaps in knowledge and outlines future directions, including targeted drug delivery systems, biomarker-guided personalization, and long-duration trials. Flavonoids thus emerge not only as promising neuroprotective agents but also as complementary candidates in the development of future multi-modal strategies for AD treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronic Non-Infectious Diseases with a High Impact on the Central Nervous System)
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25 pages, 1231 KiB  
Review
Neurobiological and Microbiota Alterations After Bariatric Surgery: Implications for Hunger, Appetite, Taste, and Long-Term Metabolic Health
by Sebastián Chapela, Ludwig Alvarez-Córdova, Andres Martinuzzi, Rosario Suarez, Victoria Gonzalez, Ezequiel Manrique, Janeth Castaño, Gianluca Rossetti, Luigi Cobellis, Vincenzo Pilone, Evelyn Frias-Toral and Luigi Schiavo
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(4), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15040363 - 31 Mar 2025
Viewed by 900
Abstract
Bariatric surgery (BS) is an effective intervention for obesity, inducing significant neurobiological and gut microbiota changes that influence hunger, appetite, taste perception, and long-term metabolic health. This narrative review examines these alterations by analyzing recent findings from clinical and preclinical studies, including neuroimaging, [...] Read more.
Bariatric surgery (BS) is an effective intervention for obesity, inducing significant neurobiological and gut microbiota changes that influence hunger, appetite, taste perception, and long-term metabolic health. This narrative review examines these alterations by analyzing recent findings from clinical and preclinical studies, including neuroimaging, microbiome sequencing, and hormonal assessments. BS modulates appetite-regulating hormones, reducing ghrelin while increasing glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide tyrosine-tyrosine (PYY), leading to enhanced satiety and decreased caloric intake. Neuroimaging studies reveal structural and functional changes in brain regions involved in reward processing and cognitive control, contributing to reduced cravings and altered food choices. Additionally, BS reshapes the gut microbiota, increasing beneficial species such as Akkermansia muciniphila, which influence metabolic pathways through short-chain fatty acid production and bile acid metabolism. These findings highlight the complex interplay between the gut and the brain in post-surgical metabolic regulation. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for optimizing post-operative care, including nutritional strategies and behavioral interventions. Future research should explore how these changes impact long-term outcomes, guiding the development of targeted therapies to enhance the recovery and quality of life for BS patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronic Non-Infectious Diseases with a High Impact on the Central Nervous System)
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