Beyond the Neuron: Advances in Glial and Non-Neuronal Biology from the Mediterranean Neuroscience Community

Dear Colleagues,

The 11th Conference of the Mediterranean Neuroscience Society (MNS) will be held in Tangier, Morocco, on 5–9 June 2027, in the heart of the Mediterranean, where Africa meets Europe. At the core of this conference, which will cover a wide range of topics from basic to preclinical and clinical neuroscience, is the emerging MNS-Glia&More group, which pursues the goal of strengthening the MNS scientific community's interest in glial and non-neuronal cells, extending beyond a neuron-centric view of the nervous system.

High-quality papers presented at the 2027 conference, in line with the scope of MNS-Glia&More, will be invited to submit extended versions to this Special Issue. In addition to conference-expanded articles, original independent research, short communications, and review submissions are also welcome.

The main focus will be on glia research, including microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells, NG2 cells, neural stem cells, and satellite glial cells, in physiological and pathological conditions. These cells may indeed play a key role in many neurological, neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, representing potential target cells for innovative therapeutic approaches. This Special Issue will also welcome contributions on other non-neuronal cells, such as ependymal cells, endothelial cells, and meningeal immune cells, which have recently emerged as an exciting field of research in neuroscience beyond the traditional neuron-centric approach.

Topics of the collection include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Glia in health and disease;
• Microglia and astrocyte function and dysfunction;
• Oligodendrocytes and myelin biology;
• Schwann cells and peripheral glia;
• Neural stem cells and neurogenesis;
• Glia–neuron crosstalk;
• Enteric glia;
• Ependymal and endothelial cells in CNS homeostasis and disease;
• Glia and non-neuronal cells as therapeutic targets in disorders of nervous tissues;
• Neuroscience of cancer involving non-neuronal cells;
• Cell transplantation, cell therapies, and bioengineering approaches involving glial and non-neuronal cells.

Prof. Dr. Mariagrazia Grilli
Prof. Dr. Valerio Magnaghi
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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Neuroglia is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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.