Neuro–Immune Interactions in Health and Disease

Dear Colleagues,

The idea that the nervous and immune systems constantly interplay has changed the understanding of the regulation of brain function and immune response, leading to the belief that cytokines can help cognition and feelings, while neuromodulators can regulate the immune response. The neuro-immune crosstalk in many tissues, including the gut, skin, brain, lymphoid organs, and lung, integrates environmental and host-derived signals and stimuli to orchestrate a wide range of physiological processes, driving tissue homeostasis. Several examples of neuro-immune crosstalk, counting the well-known gut–brain axis, the vagal nerve regulation of the immune response (so-called inflammatory reflex), and the neuron-to-glia communication, can be reported.

Unexplored perspectives on therapeutic strategies for many autoimmune, inflammatory, and neuropsychiatric diseases, as well as cancer, can be opened by insight into neuro-immune interactions. For instance, a role for vagal stimulation in inflammatory bowel disease treatment has been proved, and the involvement of neuron-to-glia communication in neurodegenerative diseases is the focus of on-going research.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect original research and review articles describing (i) novel neuro-immune interaction signals, molecules, and routes; (ii) neuro-immune interplay disruption mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis; and (iii) therapeutic strategies targeting molecular signals carrying on the immune and nervous systems communication.

Prof. Dr. Giulia Bivona
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.