The Orchestration of Glial Cells in Health and Disease
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2026 | Viewed by 69
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Recent years have witnessed the emerging role of glial cells in regulating CNS health and disease. With advances in techniques such as single-cell transcriptomics and high-dimensional flow cytometry, distinct microglial subsets have been characterized. Oligodendrocytes produce myelin, and myelin abnormalities are central to many neurological disorders. Astrocytes provide metabolic support, contribute to blood–brain barrier maintenance, and respond rapidly to environmental changes.
Understanding the interplay among different glial cell types is essential, as CNS function and pathology do not arise from isolated cellular behaviors, but rather from complex intercellular communication. In disease contexts such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and spinal cord injury, pathological changes often involve coordinated—or dysregulated—responses among microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Therefore, to develop more effective therapies for neurological disorders, it is crucial not only to understand the individual roles of each glial cell type, but also to map their interactions, signaling pathways, and coordinated responses during both homeostasis and disease progression.
In this Special Issue on glial cells, we aim to highlight the latest progress in the field, with a particular focus on deciphering glial cell–cell interactions across various CNS disease contexts.
We welcome original research articles, perspectives, reviews, and comprehensive review papers.
Dr. Keying Zhu
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- microglia
- oligodendrocytes
- astrocytes
- myelin
- neuroinflammation
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