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Cells
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Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms in Neuropsychiatric and Neurological Disorders
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Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms in Neuropsychiatric and Neurological Disorders

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2249

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Irina Balan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Alcohol Studies Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Interests: neuroinflammation; inflammation; neuroactive steroids; toll-like receptors; depression; alcohol use disorders
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue delves into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying various neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. It explores how disruptions at the cellular level, such as neuronal signaling, gene and protein expression, and synaptic function, contribute to the pathogenesis of conditions like depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic pain, substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and acute stress disorder. This Special Issue also highlights the roles of neuroinflammation and glial cells, with a particular focus on the impact of peripheral factors on neuroinflammation. By integrating insights from genetics, molecular biology, neurobiology, and immunology, this Special Issue aims to advance our understanding of the fundamental biological processes involved and identify potential therapeutic targets for intervention.

Dr. Irina Balan
Guest Editor

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 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

  • cellular mechanisms
  • molecular mechanisms
  • neuropsychiatric disorders
  • neurological disorders
  • neuroinflammation
  • neuronal signaling
  • gene expression
  • synaptic function
  • glial cells
  • peripheral factors

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4018 KB  
Article
Bifidobacterium longum P77 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P72 and Their Mix—Live or Heat-Treated—Mitigate Sleeplessness and Depression in Mice: Involvement of Serotonergic and GABAergic Systems
by Ji-Su Baek, Xiaoyang Ma, Hee-Seo Park, Dong-Yun Lee and Dong-Hyun Kim
Cells 2025, 14(19), 1547; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14191547 - 3 Oct 2025
Viewed by 777
Abstract
Sleeplessness (insomnia) is a significant symptom associated with stress-induced depression/anxiety. In the present study, we selected Bifidobacterium longum P77, which increased serotonin production in corticosterone-stimulated SH-SY5Y cells, from the fecal bacteria collection of healthy volunteers and examined the effects of B. longum on [...] Read more.
Sleeplessness (insomnia) is a significant symptom associated with stress-induced depression/anxiety. In the present study, we selected Bifidobacterium longum P77, which increased serotonin production in corticosterone-stimulated SH-SY5Y cells, from the fecal bacteria collection of healthy volunteers and examined the effects of B. longum on depression, anxiety, and sleeplessness induced by immobilization stress or by transplantation of cultured fecal microbiota (cFM) from patients with depression. Orally administered B. longum P77 decreased depression/anxiety- and sleeplessness-like behaviors in immobilization stress-exposed mice. B. longum P77 reduced immobilization stress-induced corticosterone, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-6 expression and the cell population of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB)+ in the prefrontal cortex, while the expression levels of immobilization stress-suppressed IL-10, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), its receptor GABAARα1, serotonin, and its receptor 5-HT1AR increased. B. longum P77 also alleviated immobilization stress-induced colitis: it decreased TNF-α and IL-6 expression and increased IL-10 expression in the colon. Furthermore, B. longum P77, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P72, and their combination decreased cFM- or immobilization stress-induced depression-, anxiety-, and sleeplessness-like behaviors. They also decreased cFM-induced, corticosterone, TNF-α, and IL-6 expression levels in the prefrontal cortex and colon, while increasing cFM- or immobilization stress-suppressed GABA, GABAARα1, serotonin, and 5-HT1AR expression levels in the prefrontal cortex. In particular, the combination of B. longum P77 and L. plantarum P72 (P7277) additively or synergistically alleviated depression-, anxiety-, and sleeplessness-like behaviors, along with their associated biomarkers. Heat-killed P7277 also alleviated immobilization stress-induced depression/anxiety- and sleeplessness-like symptoms. These results imply that L. plantarum P72 and/or B. longum P77 can mitigate depression/anxiety and sleeplessness by upregulating GABAergic and serotonergic systems, along with the suppression of NF-κB activation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms in Neuropsychiatric and Neurological Disorders)
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23 pages, 717 KB  
Article
Molecular Effect of Variants in Serotonin Transporter Gene in Women with Alcohol Use Disorder
by Monika Rychel, Aleksandra Suchanecka, Jolanta Chmielowiec, Krzysztof Chmielowiec, Jacek Różański, Jolanta Masiak, Anna Grzywacz and Agnieszka Boroń
Cells 2025, 14(10), 699; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14100699 - 12 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 971
Abstract
The dysregulation of the serotonin system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorders. Meta-analytic evidence suggests a significant correlation between genetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene and the risk of alcohol dependence. Hence, we aimed to analyse the association [...] Read more.
The dysregulation of the serotonin system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorders. Meta-analytic evidence suggests a significant correlation between genetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene and the risk of alcohol dependence. Hence, we aimed to analyse the association between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and alcohol use disorder in a group of women and to perform an interaction analysis of 5-HTTLPR variants, personality traits, and AUD. The study group comprised 213 female volunteers; 101 were diagnosed with alcohol addiction, and 112 were not dependent on any substance or behaviour. The 5-HTTLPR variants were identified by PCR, and the resulting products were separated electrophoretically. When comparing the AUD group with the controls, we observed significant differences in the distribution of 5-HTTLPR genotypes (p = 0.0230) and alleles (p = 0.0046). We also observed a significant impact of the 5-HTTLPR genotype (p = 0.0001) on the Neuroticism and Extraversion (p = 0.0037) scales. Additionally, there was a statistically significant impact of 5-HTTLPR genotype interaction and alcohol dependency or lack of it on the Neuroticism scale (p < 0.0001). The observed interaction suggests that the effect of the 5-HTTLPR on neuroticism may be exacerbated or attenuated in the presence of alcohol addiction. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the precise nature of this interaction. Still, it potentially indicates a gene–environment interaction where the genetic predisposition conferred by the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism interacts with the environmental stressor of alcohol dependence to influence neuroticism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms in Neuropsychiatric and Neurological Disorders)
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