Immunity in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Systemic Immune Imbalance, Neuroinflammation, and Beyond—2nd Edition
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 2
Special Issue Editor
Interests: adaptive and innate immunity; neuroimmunity; cellular signaling; immunology; T cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Although immune reactions in the central nervous system (CNS) were, in the past, uniformly branded as noxious, it is now increasingly clear that the immune system closely monitors the CNS and exerts a major protective role. It does so both from within the CNS parenchyma, primarily through the only resident immune cell there (microglia), and from afar, via numerous peripheral immune cell subsets. The latter can oftentimes act without crossing the blood–brain barrier. This shows the immense power of communication between the immune system and the CNS that operates through numerous passages (the choroid plexus, brain-draining lymph vessels, and skull bone marrow channels), neuroimmune units in the gut and skin, and the vagus nerve, among others. Notably, in many pathologic conditions, the immune system can turn neurotoxic and become the primary source of neuronal damage and ultimately death. Neuroinflammation is being identified as one of the most important pathological hallmarks in different brain pathologies. It can be seen in a wide variety of diseases ranging from brain trauma to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and frontotemporal dementia. Recent years have brought new insights into the various neuroprotective and neurotoxic functions exerted not only by the microglia, border-associated macrophages, and (exceptionally limited) adaptive immune cells in the CNS but also by various peripheral immune subsets, including, but not limited to, regulatory CD4 T cells, NK cells, neuromuscular junction macrophages, and mast cells. These two opposite functions have a range of implications in the processes of neurodevelopment, synaptogenesis, neuroplasticity, chronic stress, and neurodegeneration.
We encourage the submission of original research and review articles focused on the following topics:
- Genetics and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration linked to immune functions.
- The role of CNS-resident immune cells in neuroprotection and neurotoxicity.
- The systemic immune imbalance in neurodegenerative diseases.
- The link between ageing and neuroinflammation.
- Neuroimmune axis.
- Peripheral vs. central mediators of neuroinflammation.
- Preventive and therapeutic strategies targeting the immune system in neurodegenerative diseases.
This Special Issue is supervised by Dr. Ivana Munitic, who will be assisted by Dr. Fatema Mustafa Currim (Hall for Discovery and Learning Research, Purdue University, 3rd Floor, RM. 303, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States).
Dr. Ivana Munitic
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- neurodegeneration
- CNS immunosurveillance
- neuroinflammation
- neuroimmune axis
- glia
- T cells
- phagocytosis
- immunomodulation
- autoimmunity
- immunodeficiency
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