Brain-Body Interactions in Mental Disorders: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutics
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2026) | Viewed by 7068
Special Issue Editor
Interests: drug; mental disorders
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Mental disorders are complex conditions with profound impacts on individual well-being and societal health. Beyond their psychological and behavioral manifestations, growing evidence highlights the molecular and cellular underpinnings of these disorders, as well as their intricate interactions with systemic processes throughout the body. For instance, the dysregulation of neural circuits, immune signaling, and endocrine pathways plays a pivotal role in the onset and progression of mental disorders. These brain–body interactions underscore the need for a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms that connect mental health with systemic dysfunctions.
Recent decades have witnessed remarkable progress in this field, driven by groundbreaking technologies such as optical recording, optogenetics, and single-cell sequencing, which have shed light on the neural mechanisms underlying mental disorders. At the same time, there is growing recognition of the complex interplay between mental and somatic health. Comorbidities between mental disorders and physical diseases (e.g., cardiovascular, autoimmune, and endocrine disorders) suggest shared risk factors and mechanisms, including neural, immune, and endocrine interactions. These insights offer promising avenues for advancing diagnostics and therapeutics.
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the most recent advances in mental disorder research, with a particular focus on brain–body interactions, their underlying mechanisms, and innovative approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
Scope and Topics
We invite original research articles, reviews, and perspectives on (but not limited to) the following topics:
- Cellular and molecular basis of mental disorders.
- Role of neurotransmitters, receptors, and signaling pathways.
- Epigenetic mechanisms and gene–environment interactions.
- Neural circuits involved in mental disorders and their underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms.
- Development of novel pharmacological targets and therapies.
- The intersection of neural, immune, and endocrine systems in the pathology of mental disorders.
- Shared molecular mechanisms in comorbid mental and somatic diseases.
- Neural and systemic factors contributing to comorbidities.
Call for Contributions
This Special Issue seeks to bring together interdisciplinary perspectives to advance our understanding of mental disorders and their treatment. We welcome contributions from neuroscientists, psychiatrists, immunologists, endocrinologists, and other related disciplines. Original research, comprehensive reviews, and critical perspectives are all encouraged.
Dr. Yan-Xue Xue
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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
- brain–body interactions
- neural mechanisms
- therapeutics
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