Synaptic Dysfunction in Health and Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Synapses are highly specialized junction structures that represent the basic units of communication in the brain. Over the last decades, the synapse has been the focus of research efforts that have yielded a body of knowledge about its structure, molecular constituents, and functional properties. The synaptic vesicle was the first cellular organelle to be described in molecular detail, and it is now known that many of its components have an intricate network of interactors. However, much remains to be discovered in many fields of synapse development and plasticity. For instance, the knowledge about the function of silent synapses is still very limited and fragmented; the interplay between mitochondria and synaptic function is unclear. Moreover, emerging studies indicate that autophagy has essential functions at the synapse, but the physiological role of synaptic autophagy is far from being elucidated. Similarly, although the essential role of synaptic plasticity in higher brain functions is acknowledged, much work needs to be done to clarify the molecular bases of plasticity phenomena.

Synapses also have a key role in many brain disorders. Hundreds of mutations in the human synapse proteome (the “synaptome”) have been described and recognized to underlie a plethora of psychiatric and neurological disorders, which are now collectively called “synaptopathies”.

Defects in synapse assembly have been linked to a broad spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders. In addition, synaptic defects are thought to precede neuronal death in many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, triplet repeat disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. An imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory synaptic signals gives rise to epilepsy. Loss of synaptic homeostasis in specific networks contributes to migraine and to other morbidities characterized by chronic pain, and synaptic dysfunction is an emerging hypothesis explaining affective disorders.

We believe that a better understanding of synaptic physiology and of its dysfunction in disease may drive a transition from a disease classification based on phenomenology to one based on pathophysiological mechanisms. Such a transition will provide novel indications for the development of therapeutic strategies.

This Special Issue of Cells is devoted to all aspects of synapse function in health and disease, both in humans and model organisms. It will contain articles that collectively provide a balanced, state-of-the-art view of synapse biology in health and disease. We seek submissions of high-quality articles on topics that include but are not limited to synapse formation and plasticity, neurotransmitter release, axonal guidance, neuropharmacology, and advanced techniques for studying synapse biology. The submission of articles with breakthrough ideas and hypotheses that move the field forward is encouraged.

Prof. Flavia Valtorta
Dr. Jenny Sassone
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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.

• neurotransmitters
• synaptic plasticity
• synaptic vesicles
• neuropharmacology
• neurodegeneration
• neurodevelopment