Advances in Estrogen Therapy for CNS Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

The beneficial effects of estrogens in central nervous system (CNS) diseases include, among others, their antioxidant and DNA repair promoting activities, promoting the expression of growth factors, stimulating neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity, and modulating cerebral perfusion.

These mechanisms are vital for maintaining neuronal survival and counteract the increased risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders associated with aging. Many preclinical and clinical studies show the beneficial effects of estrogen in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and brain ischemia and stroke. In general, estrogens support maintaining good quality of life.

Estrogens act via the classical estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα) and estrogen receptor-beta (ERβ) and the membrane-associated G-protein-coupled ER (GPER1 or GPR30).

In addition to the natural estrogens, several estrogen-like molecules present in the environment (phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens) also interact with ERs and mimic the action of the natural estrogens.

This Special Issue will provide an update on our knowledge of estrogen’s impact on CNS health and disease. The research topics include the following:

1. Brain-selective estrogen(s) and their use in CNS-related neurodegenerative diseases;
2. The role of nuclear and/vs membrane estrogen receptors in CNS health and disease;
3. The mechanism of estrogen receptor activation without estrogen;
4. The mechanism of estrogen receptors in metabolic diseases;
5. The post-translational and epigenetic regulation of estrogen signaling;
6. The optimal timing of estrogen therapy during menopause.

Prof. Dr. Istvan Merchenthaler
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. 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.