Neurodegeneration Across Mechanisms, Epidemiology, and Emerging Therapies: Inflammation, Metabolism, Aging, and Neuromodulation
A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Research".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 6
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Neurodegenerative diseases impose a growing global burden, driven by the convergence of neuroinflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and aging-related processes that collectively accelerate neuronal vulnerability and loss. Mechanistic advances—from microglial and astroglial signaling to mitochondrial and proteostasis failure—are increasingly complemented by epidemiological insights that map incidence, risk, and population-level heterogeneity across diverse cohorts. Bridging these levels of analysis is essential to identify modifiable targets and to translate biology into preventive and disease-modifying interventions.
This Special Issue invites studies that integrate mechanistic, epidemiological, and therapeutic perspectives on neurodegeneration. We welcome preclinical and clinical work on: (i) immune and glial pathways (e.g., NLRP3, complement, TREM2) and their modulation; (ii) metabolic and mitochondrial targets (e.g., insulin/GLP‑1 signaling, lipidomics, mitophagy); (iii) aging biology (e.g., inflammaging, senescence, proteostasis); (iv) biomarkers for risk stratification, target engagement, and patient selection; and (v) emerging treatments, including pharmacologic approaches (immunomodulators, metabolic modulators, anti‑aggregation/anti‑tau/synuclein strategies), non‑pharmacological interventions (exercise, nutrition, digital therapeutics), and noninvasive brain stimulation such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and theta‑burst stimulation (TBS)—i.e., estimulación magnética transcraneal—as well as other neuromodulatory paradigms under investigation. Methodological contributions on trial design, real-world evidence, causal inference, and population-based risk modeling are encouraged. By connecting biology, population science, and therapeutic innovation, this Special Issue aims to accelerate translational pipelines and inform rational strategies for prevention and treatment across the neurodegenerative spectrum.
Dr. Julian Benito Leon
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- neurodegeneration
- neuroinflammation
- metabolic dysfunction
- aging and inflammaging
- epidemiology
- biomarkers
- neuromodulation
- transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
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