Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Interaction between Mental Health and Cardiovascular Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Neurocardiology is an emerging specialty that addresses the bidirectional interaction between brain and heart. Accumulating clinical and experimental evidence has shown that the concomitant presence of neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular diseases worsens the patient clinical prognosis. In particular, stress, anxiety, and depression can predispose to the development of heart disease. Similarly, a mutual relationship between brain damage and heart dysfunction was found, suggesting a cross-talk between the nervous and the cardiovascular systems.

The adrenergic system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, by releasing hormones and neurotransmitters, exert a major influence on brain circuits involved in the regulation of mood, reactivity to stressful experiences, self-control, motivation, drive, and cognitive performance. These systems and molecules act also at cardiovascular level influencing blood pressure, heart rate, but also endothelial and platelet function, and the coagulation cascade. On the other hand, cardiovascular pathologies, including metabolic associated ones (e.g.hypo- or hypertension), may lead to cognitive impairments and/or stroke-related brain damage.

This Special Issue will cover the (patho)physiological interplays of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, focusing on cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the cross-talk between brain and heart (dys)functions. Particular emphasis will be given to the role of soluble factors in these processes, as well as the impact of genetic and epigenetic modifications and the effect of therapeutic approaches able to modify these comorbidities. Papers analysing the impact of sex-difference in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and/or neuropsychiatric disorders comorbidity are strongly encouraged. Finally, papers describing new animal models, technical methods, and the development of ex-vivo approaches will be also considered.

Dr. Silvia Stella Barbieri
Dr. Alessandro Ieraci
Guest Editors

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.